The Bad Seed (1956)

★ 7.1 2h 9m IMDb

Drama Horror Thriller

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, adore their daughter Rhoda, despite her secret tendency for selfishness. Christine keeps her knowledge of her daughter's darker side to herself, but when a schoolmate of Rhoda's dies mysteriously, her self-deception unravels.

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Cast

Patty McCormack as Rhoda Penmark Age 80 · Brooklyn, New York, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Patty McCormack (born August 21, 1945) is an American actress with a career in theater, films and television. She achieved success as a child actress, and rece...

Nancy Kelly as Christine Penmark Died 1995 · Lowell, Massachusetts, USA Nancy Kelly (March 25, 1921 – January 2, 1995) was an American actress. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's The March of Time and appeared in several films in the...

Henry Jones as Leroy Jessup Died 1999 · Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA Henry Burk Jones (August 1, 1912 – May 17, 1999) was an American actor of stage, film and television. Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen (née Burk) and John Francis Xavier...

Eileen Heckart as Hortense Daigle Died 2001 · Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Eileen Heckart was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. Born Anna Eileen Herbert, her career spanned nearly 60 years. She first became known for her role as schoolteacher Rosemary Sy...

Evelyn Varden as Monica Breedlove Died 1958 · Adair, Oklahoma, USA

William Hopper as Col. Kenneth Penmark Died 1970 · New York City, New York, USA

Director Mervyn LeRoy

Cast Patty McCormack, Nancy Kelly, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden, William Hopper, Paul Fix, Jesse White, Gage Clarke, Joan Croydon

John Chard 7.5/10 Nov 16, 2013

Sowing the seeds of evil.

The Bad Seed is directed by Mervyn LeRoy and adapted to screenplay by Maxwell Anderson from the novel of the same name written by William March. Anderson had also adapted for the stage play as well. It stars Nancy Kelly, William Hopper, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart and Evelyn Varden. Music is by Alex North and cinematography by Harold Rossen.

Is there such a thing as Bad Seed? Where I grew up there was a violent family of four brothers, each one would think nothing of doing a Begbie on you. It was the first time I heard the saying Bad Seed, with the conversation basically saying that their father was a psychopath and the four lads just inherited the violent tendencies by way of Pops. It's this theory that drives LeRoy's movie, only here it's a young "butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth" girl who has murderous leanings courtesy of her Nana's iffy genetics.

The theatre origins are very much evident, there is no hiding this fact, with the acting (some of the actors are held over from the play here) very much as if playing to an open auditorium, while at over two hours in length there's an over stretching of the talk heavy material. However, this is a very engrossing piece of horror cinema, pulsing unpleasantness and mood oppressive by way of black and white photography and a musical score that underlines the blending of sweet innocence and sinister evil.

McCormack as the Devil Child is outstanding, likewise Jones as the simpleton handyman who recognises evil when he sees it. Kelly, Heckart, McCormack and Rossen were all Academy Award nominated for their respective work in the film. As for the much discussed finale? Personally I have no problem with what transpires as regards mother and child. Oh for sure the ending to both the novel and play is far darker and dramatic, but there's a campy bizarreness in this Production Code influenced denouement that befits the whole production. Though the end credits curtain calls by the cast members is pushing it too far... 7.5/10