User reviews

It had a good start. But then it turned into a lousy lifetime movie. Watch the 1956 original instead! It had so much more depth and feeling. This one started out with some depth but got shallower and shallower. Soon enough it was like you are watching a puddle. I couldn't wait for it to end. It was really an unpleasant movie to watch. The entire time, I mentally compared it to the original and wished I was watching that one instead. Emma and the acting wasn't too bad. But the dramatic scenes of Chloe in the garage just didn't match the horror of Henry Jones. The distraught mother in 1956 held a lot more emotion. The best part was when Patty McCormack said her couple of gem lines. The ending was a little different but nothing to wow you. If given a choice watch the original.

I don't think I've seen the 1956 version of "The Bad Seed", so how much alike or different the 1956 and 2018 version are I have no idea. Regardless, I sat down to watch this 2018 version as directed by Rob Lowe.

And I must say that I was actually enjoying this movie. The story was quite good, sure it was predictable at times and generic at times, but overall it was a good storyline and plot.

And writer Barbara Marshall definitely did a good job in setting the stage, and slowly building up the movie, right up to the final climax. Well, while the ending was predictable and you saw it coming a mile away, it was still an enjoyable ride getting there.

It should be said, though, that actress Mckenna Grace - playing Emma - really carried this movie phenomenally with her performance. For such a young actress, she showed a tremendous amount of talent. And I think she will have a glorious acting career ahead of her if she continues like this.

However, "The Bad Seed" is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing, because the storyline just doesn't have enough contents to it to support more than a single viewing. But worry not, as it is an enjoyable movie and well worth taking the time to sit down to watch.

I am rating this 2018 version of "The Bad Seed" a six out of ten stars. For a TV movie, this was pretty good.

I do not know why they called it a "remake" it was so very different. Like just so many other cheesy dramas, nothing very special or unusual. And of course it had to take place in not one, but 2 big beautiful glass houses where the original was in an apartment. So much more believable/shocking was the old one. And the performance of the mother of the deceased child, in the original, was spellbinding. People could really "act" back then. Not like today. Most current so called "talent" is just plain boring or filled with bad language.That is supposed to be entertaining?

Lifetime is mostly known for their formulaic, made for TV movies, but something about this one is quite refreshing. Maybe it's because they're using known actors and a known director.

Pros: The acting (particularly the performances of McKenna Grace and Rob Lowe), the music, the direction, and the ending.

Cons: A couple of considerable plot holes (how does a little girl remove a wasp's nest and tape it onto someone's backseat without anyone noticing?) Some characters also feel incredibly dumbed down.

I give this film a 7/10.

Well worth a look, not far short of being a genuine cinematic release.

Someone take Rob Lowe's directing license that ending was terrible

While I enjoyed both the 1956 movie and the 1980s MFTV remake that was truer to the original novel. This version was just too different from the story we loved in past versions. The girl semed too brooding unlike Patty McCormick's Rhoda who seemed so sweet and lovable contrary to her real sociopathic personality fooling everyone who knew her except Leroy. The name of her victim was changed. Despite some similarities to original this version just failed to hold my interest. Just too bizarre.

The book and play were masterpieces of psychological theories in the 1950s. The studios bowed to the censors when making the film and altered the ending. But this atrocity is beyond reason the worst concept of remaking anything of that era. Even changing her name to EMMA? As Monika stated in the original film's ending, "We still have Rhoda" bites the dust, I recommend everyone avoid this throwaway schlock and read the novel, rent or stream the original film and enjoy the REAL show!

Outwardly, Emma Grossman (Mckenna Grace) seems like a regular girl, but there is a darkness within her. As the incidents mount, her widowed father David Grossman (Rob Lowe) is forced to face the truth. It doesn't help that the nanny Chloe (Sarah Dugdale) is adding to the problems.

Lifetime is trying to reboot the 1950's story and movie. It made sense for the post-war baby boom to generate some darker stories. As a reboot, this go-around doesn't have quite the relevance. Lifetime TV movie is a step down, but Mckenna Grace keeps it interesting. Rob Lowe is both the star and the director. The directing is pedestrian. His acting is fine, but I would go a different way. I would make the parent a widowed mother and take the awkward sexuality out of it. Rob seems to think that Lifetime needed him to be shirtless and wet. Despite some issues, Mckenna Grace is a star in the making and it shows.

They did a very good job of updating the story to fit today's attitudes and the times in which we live. I have always been a Rob Lowe fan and he nailed the single parent going from denial to realization that his child is a sociopath lacking empathy or respect for living beings.

I went to Rob Lowe Live in San Diego at Balboa Theatre 2018 He discussed This Film and co star Mckenna Grace. My Mom DVR for me but took me 2 yrs to visit . Anyway finally watched Movie today. Thought it was fairly scary with a few creepy characters. Mr Lowe produced and directed himself. Nice job by Him to get it made. Horror Genre Hot. Predictable Storyline but Ending adds to the Spook😠 stay for A Basket Full of Hugs !

Why remake a classic movie like The Bad Seed? The kid wasn't remotely scary or creepy, she was just annoying. Not even including the original "Bad Seed" Patty McCormack as the shrink could save this. This movie deserves the "little pink chair" ASAP.

Most people like the original movie adaptation because the ending is more satisfying. This movie and the stage play is truer to the novel. The ending is irritating.

I'm pleased that Lowe changed the parental gender and a few other things. Otherwise, why bother?

This thriller/horror is one good one. It does not amount to the original in the 1950s but this one is all by it self. Emma is a girl who knows what she wants and shows the true signs of a psychopath. The creepy music, the acting, and the feeling of always being on your toes help with this movie. The gore is very low and the lack of emotions is very high. I suggest watching the bad seed if you haven't already done so

I remember staying up for the late, late show as a kid to watch the original "Bad Seed" enough times to memorize a lot of the dialog. Later, in high school, I acted out a Bad Seed scene for Drama class. Rob Lowe's updated version gave me the same creepy dread whenever Emma came on the scene that I felt when little Rhoda emerged in the original version. The color is an improvement over black and white, and the setting is beautiful. This version had enough changes to keep thriller fans interested. I recommend it, whether you like the original version or not.

It's hard to fathom what goes through the minds of Hollywood producers these days. They remake a classic and leave an imprint of bad acting, bad directing and bad rewriting. It's as it a bunch of stoned writers sit around in a Starbucks in from of their Powerbooks, steal an idea, then, one after another, start pulling "brilliant" ideas out of their asses.