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The Bad Seed (1956)

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Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 4

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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 7,690

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Movie Info

Can evil be inherited? That's the question posed by Maxwell Anderson in his stage play The Bad Seed. This 1956 film adaptation stars many actors from the Broadway version, including Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones and Eileen Heckart. Young McCormack plays Rhoda, a too-good-to-be-true grade schooler who occasionally exhibits a vicious streak whenever things don't turn out her way. During a picnic, one of Rhoda's schoolmates is drowned; the victim is a boy who'd won a penmanship medal

Unrated, 2 hr. 9 min.

Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

John Lee Mahin

Aug 10, 2004

Cast

All Critics (24) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (9) | DVD (15)

Director LeRoy has been overly faithful to the play script.

July 18, 2011 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This melodrama about a child with an inbred talent for homicide is pretty unpleasant stuff on its own.

October 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
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Mervyn LeRoy, who produced and directed, has lost a great deal of the bite of the play.

March 25, 2006 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
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Overlong, stiff, and about as suspenseful as a detergent commercial.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment
Chicago Reader
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The 'secret' villain is the missing father - or we should say, the mother for trying to child-rear by herself ... The bad seed is dead - but single parents, be warned.

October 31, 2011 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Film Threat

The dark drama that launched a genre of evil-kid movies. [Blu-ray]

October 14, 2011 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | Comment

...the last few minutes of this movie are almost as criminal as any murderous act committed in the plot. (Blu-ray edition)

October 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

...it's hard now to see what all the fuss was about.

October 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

An erratic but compelling film that lingers long after the fade-out.

July 18, 2011 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Excellent, chilling classic with McCormack as perfect demon child.

August 14, 2007 Comment
Video-Reviewmaster.com

1956 was way too soon for an unfettered treatment of the central premise.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

Scandalous, scary and popular at the time, but extremely outdated , this well-acted melodrama was one of the first to deal with criminal conduct as biologically conditioned

June 29, 2005 Comment

A classic reason for getting your tubes tied.

April 11, 2005 Comment
PopcornQ

Wrung to the point of unwatchable by meandering monologues and slow reveals.

September 6, 2004 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | Comment (1)
Film Freak Central

...behind the blonde, pigtailed facade lurks a sinister and slippery sociopath.

August 12, 2004 Full Review Source: Horror.com | Comment

The movie has influenced dozens of "evil children" flicks, from The Omen to Problem Child.

August 11, 2004 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | Comment
Filmcritic.com
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Bad Seed

"Now there's a little ray of sunshine, that one."An occasionally riveting movie from the 50's about a sunny, charming, sociopathic little girl and her mother's desperate attempts to protect her and hide her nature. The Bad Seed sometimes makes the mistake of focusing too much on the dull adults, but overall, it's a

March 29, 2011
lewiskendell

Super Reviewer

The Bad Seed is second to only The Omen when it comes to evil child horror films. Patty McCormack is amazing as the evil but deceptively sweet little girl Rhoda. But my favorite performance of the movie came from Henry Jones as the janitor who sees through Rhoda's sweet demeanor. A great movie that deserves more

May 19, 2011
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

    1. Rhoda Penmark: You better give me those shoes. They're mine! Give them back to me!
    – Submitted by Daniella G (8 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • The Bad Seed (1956) (DE)
  • The Bad Seed (1956) (UK)
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