Often imitated but never really equaled, this chilling 1956 melodrama adapted from Maxwell Anderson's stage play (which in turn was taken from a novel by William March) boldly and unapologetically depicts an angelic-looking girl with homicidal instincts. Patty McCormack stills sends shivers up and down viewers' spines with her portrayal of the seemingly innocent grade-school student who deliberately murders a classmate because he won the penmanship medal she coveted. Oscar nominee Nancy Kelly is impressive in the difficult role of the mother who gradually discovers that her precious baby is a killer, and William Hopper is equally good as the adoring father who fails to grasp the truth. John Lee Mahin's screenplay hews closely to Anderson's play, and as a result the film bears many hallmarks of a theatrical production. But director Mervyn LeRoy (I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang) builds steadily to a crescendo of horror that is all the more frightening because it plays out in a “normal” setting. While not as coarse or graphic as today's thrillers, The Bad Seed remains a daring movie that unquietly lingers in the viewer's memory. Boasting an excellent DVD transfer, the extras here include a commentary track with McCormack and Charles Busch (writer-star of Die Mommie Die!) and a 15-minute featurette on McCormack. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)
The Bad Seed
Warner, 129 min., not rated, DVD: $19.98 Volume 19, Issue 6
The Bad Seed
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