Bad Seed
by Mervyn LeRoy
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Product details
Actor: Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden, Henry Jones, Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormackDirector: Mervyn LeRoy
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 129 minutes
Release Date: 1993-05-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Studio: Warner Home Video
VHS Movie Reviews of Bad Seed
Movie Review: "How long do love birds live?"
Summary: 4 Stars
Christine Penmark has a loving husband and a picture-perfect daughter named Rhoda. Christine knows that Rhoda can be stubborn and greedy and a bit of a kiss-up, but that's not all that worries her after a classmate dies at a school picnic - the boy had just won a school medal that Rhoda wanted. A lot.
This movie was considered quite shocking when it was made in 1956; it was unheard of to suggest that a child could be a cold-blooded killer who inherited her evil from her mother. The cast came direct from the Broadway show and were comfortable in their roles. Nancy Kelly goes from contented housewife to hysterical lunatic and is believable all the way. Patty McCormack is perfect as the angelic little devil in crinolines and braids. She's tough gutsy and holds her own with the talented adults. Henry Jones, as the handy man, is really creepy and terrific.
While the actors are all great, the director chose to make a filmed play and it doesn't always work. The dialogue is all shouted and the actors politely take turns speaking, there's no overlap or hesitation; everything sounds too rehearsed. The action is mostly confined to a living room set where the actors do a LOT of talking with little action; they stand still and stare at whoever is speaking; this probably worked a lot better on stage.
The Extras include film commentary and a memories short with Patty McCormack and these are great fun to see her all grown-up. Despite it's staginess, the movie is exciting and intense and very enjoyable.
Movie Review: Humorous Reply to "Easy-Out Ending" comments
Summary: 5 Stars
My Mom, uncle and I absolutly love the ending! We don't see it as "moralistic" or sunday-school, or "cheesy"!! To us it is absolutly halarious!!! We love the OVER-THE-TOP, DRAMATIC ending!! In fact there are many funny moments like "...blue ones for little boys and PINK ones for little girls!", the taunting is halarious! The obvious water-from-the-hose on her shoes as Rhoda is walking out of the apartment is another example where the audience may find it delightfully fulfilling and funny. And what about the over-the-top, sticky-sweet "Have a wonderful-happy day!"? There is definatly a delicious, humorous quality throughout the movie which the ending COMPLETES. I think the subtle humor is something that may have been missed by the others who are slightly critical of the ending. Movie Review: What a review SHOULD look like (without the spoilers)
Summary: 4 Stars
The Bad Seed is one of my all-time favorite movies. It's creepy, suspensful and unpredictable (unless you read the other reviews on here, then you'll know every single detail of the movie and not ever have seen it). It leaves a chill running down your spine and stays with you long after you have watched it. The acting may have been a little too much (and scenes "laughable" and "unbelievable" as other "critics" put it) but we're talking about a movie that was made in the 1950's. There were no special affects, computer animation and the such back then so producers had to work with what was available. And in my opinion they did a good job. I liked how you still got a chill just from the descriptions and dialogue. There was no need for a scene or blood and gore (unlike today's horror movie where it seems the more blood and guts in the scene = the best horror movie ever.....as unrealistic as they all are). That's my favorite part of the movie because I'm not a big fan of violence in movies and most of them today turn my stomach when I watch them. I like movies that leave it up to your imagination without forcing you to watch something you really don't want to see. I first saw the movie when I was a teenager. I am now 29 and have seen it numerous times since I first saw it and still enjoy watching it every time. My husband, who really doesn't like old movies at all, really enjoyed it too (and that's saying a lot for a guy who loves the blood and guts aspect of a horror film).Movie Review: "Rhoda, About to Exploda"
Summary: 5 Stars
The little girl, Rhoda was about my age in 1956. I was not allowed to see the movie at the time it came out, but I saw it a few years later--Chilling. Heartbreaking and chilling--what a heartbreak for the poor mother. There is a sympathy for the little girl, who was apparently born without any conscience. She was born that way and did not ask to be born. She was brought into the world by others. She was immune to any instruction of right or wrong, in any regard. Perhaps you have known someone like this, that you went to school with. Whose fault is it? The people made this way did not play a part in their conception. The people who brought them into the world probably did not know they would be this way or they would have taken measures to prevent it. What do we do with them? Eliminate them? Put them under a microscope and study them? What is the answer to this enigma and more importantly what causes it? The person who makes this movie is Eileen Heckart, and her alcohol-induced rant--played to perfection. What great acting--gets you to the core, her pain, her agony. If you are "nuts about psychology" or wild about great acting this movie is for you.Movie Review: So very Bad
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie always shocks me with its intense subject matter. I am always amazed that this was filmed in 1956.
This story is about a little girl, Rhoda, who seems perfect. But this angel is surrounded by the unfortunate incidents that kill those around her. Her mother, Christine, in all her Donna Reed-esque perfection feels something is amiss and explores her own psyche to find the answers to her uneasy feelings. Is Rhoda perfect? Or is she perfectly evil?
It was a stage play, so bear that in mind when viewing it. It is definitely dialogue driven. I think the film is just great: Patty McCormack is terrifying, Nancy Kelly is just perfect for the role of Christine, and all that intense melodrama you may think of when you think of 1950s suspense films is spot on!
DVD features some nice interviews and trailers.
Highly recommend!
Summary of Bad Seed
"A basket full of kisses for a basket full of hugs." Those are chilling words, at least when uttered by that ice princess, Patty McCormack. As Rhoda Penmark, she is as pretty as a porcelain doll but drips venom with each curtsey and polite response. Little Rhoda's mother is terrified she has passed on her own mother's corruption. Oops, turns out she's right. This passes the test of time, as it still gets under your skin. The character development is tight and the story very involving. Not even Freddy Krueger had the ability to scare like tiny McCormack, looking just like a little adult while she literally beats out the competition for a penmanship award. However, director Mervyn LeRoy's hands were tied over the ending, which was changed from the source material--Maxwell Anderson's hit Broadway play. A supposedly more appropriate, and moral, ending was demanded by the studio. This was remade (badly) in 1985. --Rochelle O'GormanClassics Video
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