The Bad Seed

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The Bad Seed

Released Sep 12, 1956

2h 9m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

63%

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27 Reviews

82%

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5,000+ Ratings

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark (William Hopper) and his wife, Christine (Nancy Kelly), dote on their pig-tailed daughter, Rhoda (Patty McCormack) -- as does their lonely landlady, Monica Breedlove (Evelyn Varden). But self-centered Rhoda has a secret tendency for selfishness and loves to accumulate gifts, whether given or stolen, in her room. 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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Richard L. Coe

Washington Post

[The Bad Seed] is a double-decked rouser -- a sock melodrama and an absorbing study in crime.

Jul 25, 2022

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TIME Magazine

Director LeRoy has been overly faithful to the play script.

Jul 18, 2011

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Variety Staff

Variety

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

Oct 23, 2008

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Christopher James

AwardsCircuit.com

While revolutionary at the time, the dramatics in the movie miss their mark by today standards.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 15, 2019

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Evil little girl hides her murderous ways in dated classic.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 14, 2017

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

A near perfect thriller...

Jul 12, 2012

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CodyZamboni Z

Movie is dialogue heavy , due to its' stage origins, But redeemed by some truly heartbreaking acting by Bad Seed's mom, and the drunk woman who lost her son. The creepy loathsome psycho little girl projects menace, but often, her campy overacting hurts the impact of the movie. A movie has some still very shocking events, and a subject matter that was edgy for its' time. And add me to the list of people upset with the studio imposed tacked on ridiculous ending, followed by the warm friendly smiling cast introductions.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/14/25

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Jovy J

There is indeed much beating of breasts and gnashing of teeth but this is still a great flick!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/25

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Tim M

Though certainly shocking for its time, The Bad Seed's histrionics and hammy execution often nullify its dark themes.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/16/25

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Michael B

A Real Masterpace Of Human Drama.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/27/25

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Deke P

1956! CLASSIC! Award winning movie based on Award Winning play. Little girl is the 'Bad Seed'. I dimly remember seeing parts, if not all of it, at times before. One odd thing I wish all movies would do, but rarely if ever do, is at the end don't just show the characters names, but also their picture so we can remember & have no doubt, and in this case they showed them taking a bow & saying a few words. Saw it again, 8/16/24. On The Movie Channel 13.3 'Friday Night Frights'.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/17/24

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Chloe H

The cast is obviously made up of stage actors. The female lead, Rhoda’s mother, overacts to the point of being embarrassing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/06/24

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Mervyn LeRoy

Director

Nancy Kelly

Christine Penmark

Patty McCormack

Rhoda Penmark

Henry Jones

LeRoy

Eileen Heckart

Hortense Daigle

Evelyn Varden

Monica Breedlove

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Synopsis

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark (William Hopper) and his wife, Christine (Nancy Kelly), dote on their pig-tailed daughter, Rhoda (Patty McCormack) -- as does their lonely landlady, Monica Breedlove (Evelyn Varden). But self-centered Rhoda has a secret tendency for selfishness and loves to accumulate gifts, whether given or stolen, in her room. 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.

Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Producer: Mervyn LeRoy
Screenwriter: Maxwell Anderson, John Lee Mahin
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 18, 2010
Runtime: 2h 9m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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