The Bad Seed

Released Sep 12, 1956

2h 9m

Horror

List

63%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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

Full Review

TIME Magazine

Director LeRoy has been overly faithful to the play script.

Jul 18, 2011

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

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

Oct 23, 2008

Full Review

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

Full Review

Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Evil little girl hides her murderous ways in dated classic.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 14, 2017

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

A near perfect thriller...

Jul 12, 2012

Full Review

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Melissa L

Greatly acted movie with an excellent cast. Great ending, too. I recommend seeing it!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/19/24

Full Review

Montgomery M

After watching multiple movies that I had high expectations for but was very disappointed by I'm so happy to be watching actually good movies again. This movies was great. Kept me entertained and intrigued the entire time. The girl who played Rhoda was a very talented actress.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/13/23

Full Review

Christopher B

A great early Horror film that raises serious questions of the human condition and genetics. The film itself is one of tension and suspense and the ending, while changed from the play's original ending, is still very well done. As the ending says, I won't spoil it for anyone but this is a great film worth checking out if you like more psychological horror outings opposed to the brain dead gory and blood-filled horror films of recent years.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/23/22

Full Review

robert p

An intense thriller about a psychotic girl killer, this was the movie that would be a foundation for others in the Future!!!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Bad Seed is a truly great movie. The plot is suspenseful in a fresh way. Instead of focusing on who the killer is, the killer is made quite clear early on, and the suspense comes from the dread of not knowing when he/she will strike. The Bad Seed masters the off-screen horror of the time, effectively pulling the emotional and terror tandem perfectly; though, this may put off some modern movie-goers.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

dave s

In The Bad Seed, little Rhoda Penmark is the personification of sweet – blue eyes, blond hair, pig tails and a loving disposition – until you piss her off. Patty McCormack gives a fascinatingly over-the-top performance as the psychotic little girl, especially when she is raging. In general, the film deals with the nature versus nurture argument when it comes to a child's personality, but specifically focuses on one mother's attempt to deal with a periodically unruly child. The movie is a bit sluggish over the first half and is hindered by some cringe-worthy dialogue ("well I'll be a middle-aged mongoloid from Memphis!!"), but picks up some steam in an entertaining second half.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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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
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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