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Horror Movie Talk

The Bad Seed (1956) Review

Horror Movie Talk

Horror Movie Talk: Horror Movie Review

Tv & Film, After Shows, Film Reviews

4.4 • 640 Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2021

⏱️ 98 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We watched The Bad Seed (1956) and it was a lot slower than I remembered it being but knowing it was a stage play first, it kind of makes sense. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/fZt7gtFiVJk Synopsis The Bad Seed can be found for rent on Amazon, or anywhere you rent movies online. The Bad Seed is a story about a little girl, Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) who may have been born bad, with no conscience, empathy, or soul.  Rhoda’s mom, Christine (Nancy Kelly) learns of a death at her daughter’s school picnic. The Daigle boy, who died, just happens to have been the same young man that beat little Rhoda at the penmanship competition. Rhoda seems unconcerned and even a bit peckish following the death of her classmate.  As the story unravels we learn about more and more mysterious deaths that seem to have occurred in Rhoda’s presence, and everyone gets more evil child than they bargained for. Review The Bad Seed was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and adapted from Maxwell Anderson’s play, which was adapted from William March’s book, all of the same name.  As a result, it feels a bit like a stageplay, which by today’s standards means that it feels a little fluffy in areas. At the core of the movie is a mystery of how Rhoda got to be this way, was she born evil, or did Christine and her husband raise her wrong? The movie preys on a parents innate fear of being unable to bring their child back from completely unacceptable behavior. The way The Bad Seed handles tension works quite well, even by today’s standards. The conversations about Rhoda and what is to be done with her continue to escalate the feeling of unease. Watch The Bad SeedWatch on AmazonBuy or Rent Now! This is a character driven movie, and all of the actors chewed up the set in their respective roles. From precocious Rhoda, to suspicious Leroy, and even Rhoda’s teacher, the characters and dialog are what make this movie very similar to a play. The Bad Seed is incredibly slow by today’s standards, and a lot of the dialog winds its way in and out of being useful or progression the story. One thing that everyone will agree on is Patty McCormack steals this show and sets the standard for one of the biggest tropes in horror movie history - the evil child. https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2018/10/31/halloween-1978-review/ Score 8/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Today's episode is brought to you by David and Bryce's moms.

0:08.0

We brought you David and Bryce, and now we bring you an extra special Mother's Day episode of horror movie talk.

0:14.1

We aren't professional podcasters, but we know a thing or two about what it takes to be a mom.

0:18.8

So sit tight and prepare for the spookiest episode of horror movie

0:22.5

talk yet.

0:24.2

Hello and welcome to horror

0:26.4

movie talk.

0:28.8

An opinionated and accidentally

0:30.6

funny horror movie review

0:32.6

show. Go.

0:33.6

Go. Go. Go.

0:36.2

Go. Go. It's it. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Horror! Sabrina, don't just start to start

0:43.3

through the spread,ly wood.

0:45.3

He had no fangs!

0:48.3

Horror!

0:50.3

Sabrina, don't just stare at it, eat it.

0:53.3

The new theatrical releases always get priority.

0:58.1

But we also review other horror movies both good and horrible.

1:08.5

Wow, that didn't sound good.

1:10.5

Hello, and welcome to horror movie talk.

1:12.7

Your panel of expert hosts this week are Dr. Kathy Day, who holds a PhD in motherhood,

1:18.2

and Professor Tommy Hanson, the foremost expert in stern punishment of bad children.

...

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