The Bad Seed (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Bad Seed' (directed by Mervyn LeRoy) is a gripping, stylish, if also bonkers psychological thriller based on a hit stage play. The film opens to a loving suburban family, as the frequently absent Col. Kenneth Penmark must head to D.C.; leaving his high-strung wife, Christine (Nancy Kelly), & seemingly sweet blonde 8 yr. old daughter, Rhoda (Patty McCormack) behind. But one person who isn't wild about little Rhoda is Leroy (Henry Jones), the handyman of the complex where the Penmarks dwell. Tragedy strikes when one of Rhoda's classmates drowns in a lake while at a school picnic. The boy was recently discussed in the Penmark home as it was he who won the class penmanship medal; a medal which Rhoda felt she deserved.
Rhoda exhibits zero emotion about the tragedy. And as the cops & parents (Eileen Heckart brilliantly plays the boy's distressed, drunk mother) discuss what occurred, Christine finds the boy's missing medal in Rhoda's room & becomes neurotically dismayed at the possibility that her well-behaved princess of a daughter has more nefarious leanings; even the school headmaster does not want Rhoda back next year. Although prone to the same nightmare for a good part of her life, Christine begins to fret that this dream of hers is really a repressed memory that her - ah hah! - adopted child was the daughter of a serial killer. Christine's concerns grow as more deaths ensue and, she ponders taking matters into her own hands regarding her daughter.
So this is a totally absurd melodrama that I thoroughly enjoyed. Yes, the story is nuts. Yes, most of the performances are over-the-top. But in sticking with that tone, you kinda ride along the film's wacko wavelength. I'm not sure if the proceedings were supposed to be intentionally or unintentionally funny, but they remain funny, nevertheless. DARK; but in a way, funny. Some of that humor: psychobabble conversations about whether or not evil can be hereditary; that a child can have the cold-blooded serial killer gene. 'The Bad Seed' was considered the 1st of the so-called 'evil child flicks' and, I can surely see why. Critiques I have of this film would be that it's a bit too stagey for my liking, and also a touch too long; didn't need to be 129 minutes.
Nancy Kelly's performance is a real curio because she looks like such a put-together, buttoned-up, normal housewife, but then developments surrounding her daughter make her 'lose it', as she becomes utterly overwrought due to her fears. LOVED Eileen Heckart's lush act as the boy's bereft mother, Hortense Daigle. Evelyn Varden - an actress I always enjoyed - is great as the babbling buffoon landlady. And Patty McCormack is chilling in her restrained child killer portrayal. Funny, the ending of the play is so morbid, that Hollywood changed the ending of this film - though, it's still morbid - to please the censors. Funnier yet, after the credits roll, the film shows Nancy Kelly playfully spanking McCormack as if to say 'Bad girl! Killing is a no-no'. THAT is how serious Hollywood was not to rattle audiences too much. This movie was a hit then, and is a cult classic hoot today.
Rhoda exhibits zero emotion about the tragedy. And as the cops & parents (Eileen Heckart brilliantly plays the boy's distressed, drunk mother) discuss what occurred, Christine finds the boy's missing medal in Rhoda's room & becomes neurotically dismayed at the possibility that her well-behaved princess of a daughter has more nefarious leanings; even the school headmaster does not want Rhoda back next year. Although prone to the same nightmare for a good part of her life, Christine begins to fret that this dream of hers is really a repressed memory that her - ah hah! - adopted child was the daughter of a serial killer. Christine's concerns grow as more deaths ensue and, she ponders taking matters into her own hands regarding her daughter.
So this is a totally absurd melodrama that I thoroughly enjoyed. Yes, the story is nuts. Yes, most of the performances are over-the-top. But in sticking with that tone, you kinda ride along the film's wacko wavelength. I'm not sure if the proceedings were supposed to be intentionally or unintentionally funny, but they remain funny, nevertheless. DARK; but in a way, funny. Some of that humor: psychobabble conversations about whether or not evil can be hereditary; that a child can have the cold-blooded serial killer gene. 'The Bad Seed' was considered the 1st of the so-called 'evil child flicks' and, I can surely see why. Critiques I have of this film would be that it's a bit too stagey for my liking, and also a touch too long; didn't need to be 129 minutes.
Nancy Kelly's performance is a real curio because she looks like such a put-together, buttoned-up, normal housewife, but then developments surrounding her daughter make her 'lose it', as she becomes utterly overwrought due to her fears. LOVED Eileen Heckart's lush act as the boy's bereft mother, Hortense Daigle. Evelyn Varden - an actress I always enjoyed - is great as the babbling buffoon landlady. And Patty McCormack is chilling in her restrained child killer portrayal. Funny, the ending of the play is so morbid, that Hollywood changed the ending of this film - though, it's still morbid - to please the censors. Funnier yet, after the credits roll, the film shows Nancy Kelly playfully spanking McCormack as if to say 'Bad girl! Killing is a no-no'. THAT is how serious Hollywood was not to rattle audiences too much. This movie was a hit then, and is a cult classic hoot today.