The Bad Seed

I watched this film again last night and can't count how many times I've seen it.

What I find fascinating is the that two leads, Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormick don't seem to fit with the talent of the rest of the cast, most of whom are very good character actors.

McCormick plays the role of Rhoda as if she's in the stage play, but on film it comes off as over-acting.

Nancy Kelly is too whiny and seems to swing back and forth between being terrified and oblivious, with no middle range. One minute she thinks her daughter is a murderer and then next she's leaving her alone to go grocery shopping if there's nothing wrong. If she's trying to convey denial due to the love she has for her daughter, it doesn't work.

There are a couple of scenes that don't seem to accomplish anything as they end with someone having to go to dinner or lunch so everyone can just ignore the fact that they believe this child to be terribly disturbed and possibly worse. In this instance maybe we should consider the times in which the film was made.

Something just doesn't flow right for me, yet, I watch this movie almost every time I catch it on television. I can't explain why, but maybe that was the intention of the film maker.

as the mother of the drowned boy.... a performance that must rank with the best of the 1950s. Heckart repeated her stage role in the 1956 film with Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormack as the mother and daughter. Henry Jones (also in the stage production and excellent), Evelyn Varden, Gage Clarke, Paul Fix, Joan Croyden and Jesse White are good in support. Jones and Varden are especially good. William Hopper is and always was BLAH. But Eileen Heckart is superb as the drunken, crushed woman who knows there is something more to her son's death than she is being told. Her two scenes are riveting as she lurches across the room, begging for information, yet totally in control of the situation. Kelly, McCormack, Jones, and Varden are also good (if stagy) in their roles. Kelly seems hopelessly hammy but grows on you even though she seems to be imitating Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard most of the time. Great film, literate, interesting, riveting..... a must!

I consider this to be more of a psychological drama than a horror movie. Eight-year-old Rhoda has no remorse or feeling for the crimes she has committed, saying that it was "their faults". McCormack is a wonderful actress who could past her age in any movie. Overall, this is my favorite movie of all time and I recommend it to anyone who likes suspense with psychology.

I love this movie. I have read many reviews from professionals and they all seem to think the movie is too theatrical and you can tell it was a stage play and that the mother is especially dramatic. She is, that's true, but in the same way Faye Dunaway chews up Mommie Dearest and we all know what a hoot that is. Little Rhoda is a real stinker. The handyman had better "give her those shoes." The subplot of the mother's own identity is fun too. All in all, the movie is very 50s. You can almost see Wally and the Beaver coming down the street. Great! There is also some discussion about the formal introduction of the cast at the end which I've always found a very nice touch. Much older films of the 30s used to do that all the time. It's been said this film did it to show the characters were just flesh and blood actors and so their roles and the subject matter (especially Patty McCormack) shouldn't be taken seriously. See it. By the way, there is one review on this site by someone who says they saw the movie at age 12 that is very negative. Don't believe it!

I was blown away! I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. Those people gave me the creeps. I was just flipping through the channels when I came across it. Normally I'll change the channel after a minute or two to see what else is on, but not when I saw this movie! I was so terrified, I sat through the whole movie, uninterrupted. I'm shivering just thinking about it right now!