Sticks and
Stones Can Break My Bones,
But Bad Seeds Can Certainly Murder Me
by Andy Morton
The Bad Seed. Dir. Mervyn LeRoy, 1956.
This movie is one that definitely qualifies as classic horror. For one, it is the first recollection that this reviewer has of a scary movie. I was about 5 and visiting family in New Mexico, and the real memorable event of this trip, other than my cousin "Letha Jane" eating canned dog food (unfortunately she was the one that I also had to share the sofa-bed with) was seeing The Bad Seed.
I distinctly remember the creaky springs of the pull-out sofa bed as my cousin and I squirmed around in anticipation of this haunting thriller. We were allowed to stay up late to watch it, as it was a "special treat" --and possibly just a tactic to keep us out of our parent's hair and away from the card table.
I also remember that queasy peculiar sensation in the pit of my stomach as I also realized that my own cousin, who was lying there next to me--who had eaten the dog food earlier in the morning, and that IS the epitome of grossness--could actually have the same evil lurking inside her just that was hidden inside the blond-haired, blue-eyed innocent looking child star, Patty McCormack. And that is what makes The Bad Seed so appealing after all these years. The threat of hidden evil (The evil lurking within is a popular theme in other features of classic horror, such as The Exorcist), that something so pure and innocent as a little piano-playing, pig-tailed, pinafore-wearing girl could truly be the plotting perpetrator that she is.
My own daughter, upon watching this movie for the first time when she was about 7 or 8, was so entranced that she watched it two or three times the same night. She, also being a pig-tailed blondie, seemed entranced that something could be so pure and yet so tainted---a very complex but vicariously appealing idea to a young girl.
The main character of The Bad Seed, a child named Rhoda, seems to sum up the fear of every mother (or adult, for that matter), the fear that someone they love with all their heart or that someone they would nary suspect could be the mastermind of something so depraved as torture and murder. And this is how Rhoda manages to maneuver throughout the movie. She plays upon the fact that no one even begins to suspect that she may be the one causing the mysterious accidents and deaths--no one until her own mother that is. Nancy Kelley, who plays the mother, Christine Penmark, gives an over-the-top typical 1950's melodramatic performance as the poor, suffering mom of this monster. But it is little Patricia McCormack as Rhoda Penmark who steals the show. Her understated, sly portrayal of the littlest murderess reminds us that children can actually give natural performances. Viewers who are fans of television horror may also recognize Henry Jones, a veteran of countless film and TV appearances, as LeRoy the handyman.
Aficionados of classic TV horror will definitely remember Mr. Jones's mug from his stints in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery, Twilight Zone, and Thriller. The clueless father, played by William Hopper, whom some may recall from such B grade thrillers as The Deadly Mantis and Six Million Miles to Earth, doesn't understand why his wife has become so increasingly despondent . He doesn't understand a lot of things, obviously! Most of the cast is from the original Broadway production of Maxwell Anderson's play, and the acting seems more geared for the stage than screen.
As it was a controversial movie in its day, The Bad Seed's premiere would have been interesting to attend. Of course, I, and countless other viewers, would have been yelling "The morality code be damned." I never realized why they tacked on the "shocking" ending that we were instructed at the end of the mov ie not to divulge to anyone. All I knew is that the concept of a little girl evil enough to make GOD strike her dead, scared the crap out of me.
Still, it remains a classic, in spite of the fact that with what kids are doing today in places like Columbine, the subject matter is no longer new or unique. And this is the sad truth: Today's youth culture is a lot more chilling than any effects this movie could ever hope to achieve with current audiences.
Yes, sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction. However, when watching The Bad Seed, we can believe that for a moment in history, the innocence of youth was a given, and that someone's evil deeds would eventually catch up with her.