Bad Seed (Blu-Ray) (1956)

Editor's Note The plot of William March's successful novel was tailor made for Hollywood. Combined with beautiful black-and-white photography and fabulous performances, THE BAD SEED is one of the eeriest films of the 20th century. The scientifically dubious theory behind the title is that an evil disposition can be an inherited trait. Patty McCormack plays Rhoda Penmark, a seemingly sweet, beautiful, smart grade school girl who is in attendance at a school picnic in which a classmate dies. No one suspects that the accident was the result of murder except for Rhoda's apartment building janitor, a simpleton named LeRoy (Henry Jones). But when Rhoda's mother, Christine Penmark (Nancy Kelly), finds out that her real mother is a cold-blooded killer, she begins to suspect her own daughter. Her fears of what Rhoda might do conflict with her protective instincts as a mother, forcing Christina to make terrible decisions--decisions that themselves might be too late.

	Nancy Kelly
	Patty McCormack
	Jesse White
	Evelyn Varden
	William Hopper
	Eileen Heckart
	Henry Jones
	Paul Fix
	Alex North - Composer
	Maxwell Anderson - Source Writer
	William March - Source Writer
	Harold Rosson - Director of Photography
	John Lee Mahin - Screenwriter
	Mervyn LeRoy - Director

THE BAD SEED is a suspenseful thriller about a mother who slowly comes to the incredible conclusion that her 8-year-old daughter might just be responsible for a string of brutal murders. Based on Maxwell Anderson's play, this picture was the inspiration for 1994's THE GOOD SON, as well as the 1985 TV movie of the same name. Entertainment Weekly
"[T]he real fun lies in the goofy mix of chills and wildly emotional hokum..." 08/13/2004 p.73

Premiere
"[The film] offers a classy dose of macabre melodrama..." 07/01/2004 p.119

Los Angeles Times
"[C]hilling..." 08/08/2004 p.E14