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The Bad Seed

1956

Mervyn LeRoy

Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart ...

6.6

1,236

Drama. Horror. Thriller Christine Penmark seems to have it all: a lovely home, a loving husband and the most "perfect" daughter in the world. But since childhood, Christine has suffered from the most terrible recurring nightmare. And her "perfect" daughter's accomplishments include lying, theft and possibly much, much worse. Only Christine knows the truth about her daughter and only Christine's father knows the truth about her nightmare.

	Media	Author	Review
		TV Guide	"An erratic but compelling film that lingers long after the fade-out."
		Village Voice	"You have here a film version of a chilling novel and interestingly repellent stage play that defeats its own purpose with a static recording of the stage business"
		Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle	"Everything dated and peculiar about it is fascinating and does not detract -- it may even enhance -- the fun of the central premise."
		Bosley Crowther The New York Times	"Mervyn LeRoy, who produced and directed, has lost a great deal of the bite of the play. He has done it in a style of presentation that is ostentatious and often insincere."
		Eric Henderson Slant	"'The Bad Seed' might not have the lurid veneer of Oedipal conflict that turned The Good Son into a supreme guilty pleasure, but it’s got more false-façade performances than you could ever hope for. (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune	"Overlong, stiff, and about as suspenseful as a detergent commercial, The Bad Seed has one small asset, Patty McCormack as the child, but that's about it."
		The Washington Post	"The movie's artful black-and-white cinematography still contributes much to making this a remarkably gripping chiller"
		Variety Staff Variety	"Taken from Maxwell Anderson's stage play, adapted from William March's novel, the film remains more of the theatre than of the motion picture field. Nonetheless, it is well done within that qualification."

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