The Bad Seed (1956)

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The Bad Seed is about what happens after the death of a young child who was believed to have been murdered. Afterwards, the mother begins to wonder whether the young girl may have murdered the boy. The music in the opening sequence is fantastic, and perfectly sets the mood for the story to come. There’s a mix of darkness and innocence, and immediately puts you at unease. As the film unfolds you learn more about the little girl, named Rhoda. Actress Patty McCorack is the film’s standout performer. She does a great job at appearing sweet and innocent, but having a cold heart, clearly feeling nothing towards the events that continue to transpire as the movie goes on. It can be difficult for child actors to deliver a performance of such a caliber, and Ms. McCormack absolutely does so here. The movie has clever use of foreshadowing throughout, often setting up plot points throughout that will come to light later, as the movie goes on. The cinematography is gorgeous, and I love the use of shadows in certain scenes. The movie has a slow pace that occasionally bogs the movie down a touch. For the most part, however, this works in the film’s favor. The horror to The Bad Seed is very psychological, often exploring whether evil is hereditary, fostered by environment, or possibly a little bit of both. One of the things this movie has that I love is actual characters that feel real. The mother of the dead boy appears in a scene, drunk. This is what I would expect from a woman who just lost her only child. The evil little girl’s mother naturally grows more and more suspicious. Again, this feels like a genuine reaction. The settings to the movie are limited, and fairly contained, with some possibility of inspiring other thrillers such as Psycho or, more recently, Buried. There’s also a sense of subtlety by showing the reactions to deaths in the movie, as opposed to the deaths themselves. Everything seems to blend together to make a good horror-thriller that’s enjoyable for a watch. 

8 / 10