The Bad Seed
1956 · Movie · NR · 129 min · ★ 7.1 · 57% critics
A devoted mother begins to notice unsettling signs behind her young daughter’s perfect manners and charm. After a classmate dies under suspicious circumstances, she’s forced to confront what might be happening at home and how far a parent will go to protect a child—or stop them.
Based on The Bad Seed
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Details
- Years
- 1956
- Release date
- 1956-09-12
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Critic score
- 57/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (264 votes)
- Budget
- $1,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a classic, dialogue-driven shocker about innocence turning sinister and moral panic, with a theatrical feel; Not for you if you need fast pacing or on-screen thrills like The Fly.
Pros: unsettling premise; strong child performance; dark, memorable mood | Cons: talky and slow; tension revealed early; stage-like acting style
Themes
- lightning
- confession
- child murder
- murder
- lightning bolt
- psychotic
- evil child
- cautionary
- murder confession
- critical
- foreboding
- ominous
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1957 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1957 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography, Black-and-White · 1957 · nominated
Cast & crew
Patty McCormack
as Rhoda Penmark
Nancy Kelly
as Christine Penmark
Henry Jones
as Leroy Jessup
Eileen Heckart
as Hortense Daigle
Evelyn Varden
as Monica Breedlove
William Hopper
as Col. Kenneth Penmark
Paul Fix
as Richard Bravo
Jesse White
as Emory Wages
Gage Clarke
as Reginald "Reggie" Tasker
Joan Croydon
as Claudia Fern
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy