The Bad Seed
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Movie Reviews of The Bad Seed
Movie Review: a perfect film for the present times
Summary: 5 Stars
In an age of over the top pop princesses and glamed out hollywood plastic surgery nightmares, the bad seed is a perfect movie for the times. Rhoda is the perfect hero for anyone who is flawlessly perfect on the outside and chillingly evil and self absorbed on the inside. This has got to be one of the darkest and funniest movies that came out of the late 40's and will give anyone the shivers. Rhoda is the "perfect little angel" on the exterior but in reality is a cold hearted 8 year old egocentric murderer. You can almost say that Rhoda was the influence for Eddie Haskell on "Leave it to Beaver!" The great thing about this flick is the fact that the viewer is presented with the notion that criminal tendencies are genetically inherited and not just a product of the environment one grows up in (a radical idea in the 1940's). I'm constantly amazed at Patty McCormick's skill as a little girl to play this evil little doll. This movie has waited to long to be available on dvd and deserves it's rightful place as a top notch film in a number of categories. It's funny, horrific, beautiful, naive and shocking. A grade A film!!!!Movie Review: Creepy Fun
Summary: 5 Stars
This film and its subject matter still holds up after 50 years and you can see the influence it had on present day horror films. So much for family values here. Rhoda is raised in an affluent home, loving parents, sucessful father, but all this isn't enough to overcome her manic personality. Never before has a child been portrayed in such a twisted manner, but many have since. I don't include Veda (Mildred Pierce) in the same catagory, as Veda's character is several years older than Rhonda, almost a woman. Veda does display similar traits to Rhonda growing up, selfish, manuliputive, but she doesn't quite fall into the same level of amorality as Rhonda. Veda still has some conscience about her actions. Some reviewers have felt that some of the acting was "over the top", which may be true. However, the story still draws you in and you do feel Nancy Kelly's pain at her decision to stop Rhoda before its too late. For a film and the images it created to remain in our conscience even to today is a testiment of a great movie. Who will ever look at a blonde haired girl with pigtails in a fancy frock the same way again?Movie Review: Bunches of Rancid Kisses
Summary: 5 Stars
The transition of this Maxwell Anderson play from Broadway to the screen is not as smooth as I would have liked. Most of the actors were brought from Broadway (Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack) to film their roles and these two in particular play to the balcony most of the time, which is unfortunate for it taints the veracity of this scary psychological thriller.
With that said, "The Bad Seed" is still a fascinating film with some really sad, emotional performances: Eileen Heckart as the mother of one of Rhoda's (McCormack) victims and when Nancy Kelly calms down, she can really tear your heart out as a mother who discovers that her daughter is a murderer...a "Bad Seed."
I would think that in the early 50's this theory of a Bad Seed was pretty controversial especially when it was applied to a pre-teen. But now, some 50 years later we need only look out of our front doors, read the newspapers or watch the news to realize that there are a hell-of-a-lot of these Bad Seeders of all ages populating this earth. Do you think it's the chlorine in the water or the preservatives in our food?
Movie Review: This is a Good Movie! Suspenseful and Chilling!
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched the movie The Bad Seed and it was the first time I ever saw it and I think it's a great movie and very chilling! It is about an angelic looking 8 year old girl who appears to be polite and perfect but who is in fact a cold blooded murderer and her loving mother soon realizes that her little girl is evil it frighten her and I think Nancy Kelly who played Christine was great and Patty McCormack was great too and gave a very chilling performance as Rhoda the bad seed and I highly recommend this movie! This is without a doubt one of the most chilling movies I have ever watched! I haven't seen the play this movie was based on and I never read the book but I hear that the ending of the play and movie were very different and that the movie studio made them change the ending of the movie becasue they felt that that ending wasn't appropiate. I did see the made for TV remake that I think was made in the 1980's and it wasn't very good though it did contain the ending that was changed in this movie but even with that ending the remake wasn't good and the original is alot better!Movie Review: Over-the-top Camp Fest!
Summary: 5 Stars
In the vein of BABY JANE or THE WOMEN, this screen adaptation of a successful Broadway stage show is a melodramatic feast. Nancy Kelly, relatively unknown to movie goers but a Diva of the 1950s theatre, chews up every available bit of scenery but is admirably match by Patty McCormack's "Rhoda," who is a cross between A Child of the Corn and Baby Jane Hudson. Great supporting cast, especially Eileen Heckart and Frank Cady. But what the heck is Hedda Hopper's son doing in the thankless role of the absentee husband!?
The DVD special features aren't much... Disappointingly, McCormack has very little info or insight into her most famous acting credit. Fortunately, witty Charles Busch is on hand to guide her through the screening and come up with some humorous observations, but someone needed to brief McCormack on some of the film's history...she essentially just Ooh's and Aah's and says, "Isn't that wild?" or "Absolutely" for two hours.
Don't reveal the ending to anyone who hasn't seen it yet. It's a treat!