Bad Seed [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

"The Bad Seed" holds a unique place in cinema history for daring (in 1956) to show a small child as being a wilful and calculating evil killer. I can only imagine the impact it must have had on it's release in the 1950's when portraying such cold-blooded behaviour in children would be unprecedented. But as a viewer today, I can only review it based on my own impressions, and whether it lives up to it's reputation and still works today.

The story is not complicated, it revolves simply around an eight year old girl named Rhoda and her family. Rhoda appears to be the perfect daughter, all plaits and smiles and frilly dresses, but unbeknown to her mother she is a skilled troublemaker, and has no compunction or guilt in "removing" obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants. Most notably, the action centres on a school handwriting competition that sees Rhoda denied first place. The prize goes to another classmate who is subsequently found drowned...is it possible that rivalry among a class of kids this young could lead to murder? And how could it possibly be the ultra-cute Rhoda with her cute manners and sunny demeanor? It's left up to Rhoda's mother, Christine, to face up to the terrible truth behind her daughter's perfect facade.

What works the best is undoubtedly Patty McCormack's performance as Rhoda. Without her portrayal the film would not be half of what is is here. Totally relaxed and confident, McCormack brings the character beautifully to life. Her delivery, ranging from petulant, suger-sweet, angry or cruel is spot on every time, and her facial expressions rival many adult actors in terms of ambiguity. It's easy to believe Rhoda has most adults in the palm of her hand with her disarming good manners and sweet behaviour, but it's equally easy to imagine the evil underneath when she is seen purposely covering up damning evidence or taunting the few brave souls that dare speak out against her. As long as Rhoda is on screen, the film is a joy to watch. But conversely, when she's not....oh dear. The film creaks to a slow crawl as the adult characters mill about with lots of hand-wringing and soul searching as they try and make sense of the bizarre goings on. The worst offender is Nancy Kelly in the pivotal role of Christine, Rhoda's anxious mother. Both Kelly and McCormack played the same characters in the original stage production, but unfortunately, unlike the serene McCormack, Kelly acts like she's still on stage, gesticulating with tremendously exaggerated movements and hammy histrionics at every one of Rhoda's misdemeanours which look far too over-the-top on celluloid. This weeping and wailing hampers the dramatic tension greatly, and a little firmer direction of her performance could have darkened the overall tone to even better effect.

Veracity is not further helped by some sadly very dated psycho-babble about the possible cause behind Rhoda's homicidal tendancies. Nancy Kelly's confession, when she reveals why she suspects Rhoda to be a "bad seed" is amusingly implausible, and presumably based on some kind of mid-1950's quack psychology, because it really sounds daft today. However, I will say though, that Nancy's final scene as Christine still has some potency, as she takes final measures to stop all the madness in the only way she can see how. Thanks to the tiresome Hays Code of the day, though, the film is famous for having a tacked on ending that follows Rhoda to her come-uppance (one which the stage version never meted out), and although many audiences have howled at the obvious "divine retribution" tone of it, if you watch it, it's actually not that bad as a plot continuation, although the actual depiction of it is rather ridiculous. What really fails, though, is the wildly inappropriate final curtain call which shows Christine enthusiastically spanking Rhoda as both giggle profusely. This 30 second shot, with no reason or relevance to ANYTHING that has gone before in the film, is the worst mistake of the whole affair, and should have been erased from as many releases as possible - it would have been a perfect DVD extra, no way should it still appear as the final shot of the movie.

Having said that, the whole film itself is a lot of fun. I woudl recommend it for an afternoon's entertainment, as long as you watch it with hindsight about restrictions that go with it's time, you can appreciate the plot pretty well. It does suffer from some stagy acting, and some stagy setpieces as well, with over-reliance on a few conversation-heavy sequences that take place in just one room. But Rhoda, the blond-plaited, frilly skirted, murderous poppet who has since become almost iconic in cinema visual language, saves the day. Well done to Patty MacCormack and director Mervyn LeRoy for creating this legacy.

Christine Penmark has a loving husband and a picture-perfect daughter named Rhoda. Christine knows that Rhoda can be stubborn and greedy and a bit of a kiss-up, but that's not all that worries her after a classmate dies at a school picnic...the boy had just won a medal that Rhoda wanted. A lot.

This movie was considered quite shocking when it was made in 1956; it was unheard of to suggest that a child could be a cold-blooded killer who inherited her evil from her mother. The cast came direct from the Broadway show and were comfortable in their roles. Nancy Kelly goes from contented housewife to hysterical lunatic and is believable all the way. Patty McCormack is perfect as the angelic little devil in crinolines and braids. She's tough gutsy and holds her own with the talented adults. Henry Jones, as the handy man, is really creepy and terrific.

While the actors are all great, the director chose to make a filmed play and it doesn't always work. The dialogue is all shouted and the actors politely take turns speaking, there's no overlap or hesitation; everything sounds too rehearsed. The action is mostly confined to a living room set where the actors do a LOT of talking with little action; they stand still and stare at whoever is speaking; this probably worked a lot better on stage.

The Extras include film commentary and a memories short with Patty McCormack and these are great fun. Despite it's staginess, the movie is exciting and intense and very enjoyable.

The Bad Seed is original because it was the first horror to explore an evil child and relies more on psychological horror. The idea that someone seeming innocent is in fact evil is very original and more terrifying than any horrific looking monster. The evil behind the cutness is perfectly conveyed by Patty McCormack in one scene she says sweetly, "I'll give you a basket full of hugs, for a basket full of kisses" sends a chill down the spine. There is also some terrific scenes featuring the house keeper. Unfortunately and unexpectedly the film spends little screen time on the girl and more on the shocked mother who spends most of the film acting over-melodramatic and shocked (I was unconvinced by her acting) and the film spends a lot of time about discussions regarding evil pasted on to the next generation, in other words it's all talk and no action. The films is considerably weakened by the idiotic tacked on happy ending. The evil child theme is much better conveyed in the brilliant, "The Other (1972)" and "The Omen (1976)"