Movie Review - The Bad Seed

The Bad Seed (1956)

Starring Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Eileen Heckart, Henry Jones, and Evelyn Varden

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

The precursor to modern day flicks like The Good Son and Orphan, 1956's The Bad Seed was one of the first cinematic glimpses that all children aren't made up of sunshine and lollipops.  There are certainly a few bad seeds out there whose evil nature is hidden beneath an innocent looking visage, and this flick's blonde-haired eight year-old Rhoda Penmark (played by Patty McCormack in an Academy Award-nominated role) is one of those very devious children.

When a young schoolmate of Rhoda's is found drowned in a local park on a school picnic, Rhoda's mother Christine (Nancy Kelly) is quite upset.  However, she finds it quite odd that her daughter seems to have no qualms over the incident.  In fact, Rhoda's nonchalant attitude makes Christine think about other incidents in Rhoda's past where people close to the Penmarks have died under unusual circumstances in the presence of her young daughter.  Is it all a coincidence or is Rhoda truly evil?

That question is surely answered and the reveal and aftereffects are quite intriguing.  I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised with The Bad Seed.  At first, I couldn't imagine how this film could sustain itself over 130 minutes, but I found it very impressive that I was entertained throughout the entirety of the low-key thriller.  That may in part be due to the fact that this story had already been a long-running play prior to the making of the film and any kinks that may have impacted the flow were already ironed out.  

Also helping is the fact that director Mervyn LeRoy brought most of the play's cast to the screen and everyone across the board is excellent, although perhaps a little overly dramatic (although I attribute that to moreso the style of acting in the 1950s than anything else).  In addition to the cloyingly sweet and altogether devilish McCormack whom I already mentioned was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar, Nancy Kelly also was nominated in the Best Actress category.  Kelly is the heart and soul of the film and her character is the one that goes through the most ups and downs.  Her character's metamorphosis from a sweet, caring mother to a woman who is genuinely frightened of her daughter is always believable and a key strength to making this movie a success.  [It should also be noted that Eileen Heckart as the alcoholic mother of Rhoda's deceased schoolmate was also nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar.  Although her role amounts to what is mostly a cameo, her role is quite a doozy and her short time onscreen was certainly memorable.]

All in all, The Bad Seed is a flick that I'd absolutely recommend checking out.  While it's slightly disappointing that the production codes of the 1950s caused the film's ending to be quite obvious to me from the outset (I guess that's what a college film studies class will ruin for you when watching films from that era), it certainly didn't ruin the experience for me.  This is a flick that I can certainly imagine I'll revisit in years to come.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+