I had wanted to see this for a long time, and I was definitely let down.
As far as I am aware, this is the grandaddy of killer-kid movies.
The movie makes no secret of Rhoda being a murderer; her mother, Christine, figures it out in the first act, like she's Batman! I really expected a slow build, with a big reveal in the third act, but nope.
On to the problems - and there are many: First, the movie is way too long, and it's slow. Too much information is given away too early, so there is no tension. All the deaths are offscreen, so we just get people sitting around talking; almost all of this is with the adults - this needed to be Rhoda's story.
The obvious problem here is that this was made in the 1950s. How do you make such a dark film during that era? Well, you just talk about what's going on instead of showing it, and you spoon feed the audience, like they're idiots. Now, to be fair, I wouldn't expect people from that time to understand psychopaths, but the filmmakers didn't seem to understand them either.
While young Patty McCormack is great as Rhoda - the best part in the movie, in fact - she was directed to play her more as a narcissist, rather than someone who lacks remorse.
Yet another misstep is the score. I don't know what movie the composer thought he was writing a score for, but it wasn't a movie about a murderous girl.
This needed to be much better, and it would be succeeded years later, by way of _The Good Son_ (1993), and _Orphan_ (2009).
Onto the final issue, the ending: [spoiler]Having foreshadowed the sleeping pills, and the gun, I knew the movie wouldn't have the balls to pay that off, and it didn't. Instead we get the double twist of mommy, and Rhoda surviving.
But what's this? Rhoda is snuffed out by Zeus! Give me a break! No "happy ending!" Only death followed by more death![/spoiler]
I thought it was super cute that the movie had a curtain call at the end; how quaint. Might have been the highlight.
Oh, one more thought: [spoiler]Rhoda may have been a killer, but some of the adults were pretty twisted too. At least Leroy died - tell me that creep wasn't guilty of something. He had it coming, I promise. Good work, Rhoda. Like a little Dexter.
And Hortense? Come on! That drunk was probably running over kids when she wasn't ringing the Penmark doorbell.[/spoiler]

Sowing the seeds of evil.

The Bad Seed is directed by Mervyn LeRoy and adapted to screenplay by Maxwell Anderson from the novel of the same name written by William March. Anderson had also adapted for the stage play as well. It stars Nancy Kelly, William Hopper, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart and Evelyn Varden. Music is by Alex North and cinematography by Harold Rossen.

Is there such a thing as Bad Seed? Where I grew up there was a violent family of four brothers, each one would think nothing of doing a Begbie on you. It was the first time I heard the saying Bad Seed, with the conversation basically saying that their father was a psychopath and the four lads just inherited the violent tendencies by way of Pops. It's this theory that drives LeRoy's movie, only here it's a young "butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth" girl who has murderous leanings courtesy of her Nana's iffy genetics.

The theatre origins are very much evident, there is no hiding this fact, with the acting (some of the actors are held over from the play here) very much as if playing to an open auditorium, while at over two hours in length there's an over stretching of the talk heavy material. However, this is a very engrossing piece of horror cinema, pulsing unpleasantness and mood oppressive by way of black and white photography and a musical score that underlines the blending of sweet innocence and sinister evil.

McCormack as the Devil Child is outstanding, likewise Jones as the simpleton handyman who recognises evil when he sees it. Kelly, Heckart, McCormack and Rossen were all Academy Award nominated for their respective work in the film. As for the much discussed finale? Personally I have no problem with what transpires as regards mother and child. Oh for sure the ending to both the novel and play is far darker and dramatic, but there's a campy bizarreness in this Production Code influenced denouement that befits the whole production. Though the end credits curtain calls by the cast members is pushing it too far... 7.5/10