Collection Worthiness
Based on a play, this classic paved the way for killer kiddies on the big screen. Nancy Kelly stars as Christine Penmark, a mother struggling to raise daughter Rhoda while the man of the house is away on military duty. When a boy ends up dead at a school picnic, Christine starts to suspect her seemingly sweet but incredibly selfish daughter had something to do with it. Played by Patty McCormack, Rhoda skips around and tells her mommy how sweet she is, but deep down, she’s a true brat who takes matters into her own hands whenever she doesn’t get what she wants. The Bad Seed holds up well today because of its fascinating look at the horrors of the home and delicious suggestion that evil can be genetically inherited. The tidy denouement of the movie compromises the original ending of the story, but it should be seen for what it is: an act of censorship necessary under the Hays Code. Still, the film remains shocking and keeps us asking, “Was that really allowed in 1956?”
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