Plot: What’s it about?
Christine Penmark (Nancy Kelly) seems to have a wonderful life, one that involves a loving husband and a beautiful young daughter. She lives in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, a life that wouldn’t appear to be bad at all. But she is haunted by nightmares, ones in which her family turns out to be infected by evil. The source of the evil would be her daughter Rhoda (Patty McCormack), an eight year old who seems to be an innocent as she could be, but her mother worries that a darker side lurks below the surface. Rhoda was determined to win a medal for her penmanship, a skill she is proud of and feels she is the best in her class. But when someone else wins the medal, a horrific chain of events rolls into motion. The boy who won the medal turns up dead, the victim of a tragic crime that remains unsolved. A few people whisper that Rhoda could be involved, but that talk is pushed aside in most circles. Christine is shocked by the event and when she looks through Rhoda’s belongings, she discovers the penmanship medal. Her concern seems to have been justified, though she never expected an event this violent. As time passes, more people start to die off, all of whom have had some contact with Rhoda. But could this sweet eight year old be capable of murder and if so, what drives her killer instinct?
A number of evil children movies have been made, some take a natural scope like The Good Son, while others lean on supernatural tones, such as Children of the Corn. Both approaches offer solid bases for intense chills, but I have to side with a more normal take, since real life is often scarier than fiction. But whichever side you fall on, there is no debate on which film is the best of the lot, as The Bad Seed takes the cake. No kid has ever been as evil as Rhoda, a lethal little girl played to sheer perfection by Patty McCormack (Invitation to Hell, Silent Predators). She turns in one of the all time camp classic efforts, a turn so definitive, she would never be able to top herself. McCormack is able to blend innocence and evil so well, its almost hard to like her character, as crazy as that might sound. Her performance is so dynamic, she is able to mask some of the movie’s flaws. This was a stage production that was adapted to the screen, which is evident at times, via the small scale and reliance on dialogue. But this doesn’t need to epic and McCormack more than compensates for the thin material, with her tour-de-force performance. I know The Bad Seed is not a great movie by the usual standards, but I still think it is just that, a great movie. Warner has issued a terrific disc too, so The Bad Seed is well recommended.
Video: How does it look?
The Bad Seed is presented in full frame, as intended. I saw minimal wear signs and debris, which will please fans for sure, as the film’s visuals are allowed to shine here. A little grain is evident at times and some edge enhancement is present, but not enough of either to lessen the experience. The black & white image is very impressive, thanks to accurate black levels and strong detail presence, very impressive work indeed. I didn’t expect The Bad Seed to look this good, but Warner has delivered a terrific presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
A basic mono option, which never sparks the ears, but handles the material well enough. The materials haven’t aged much here, as there’s minimal age related flaws present, such as hiss or harshness. The dialogue is sharp and at a proper volume balance, while sound effects & music are stable, as far as older mono tracks go. This won’t dazzle the viewers by any means, but it gets the job done and that’s enough. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, just in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This one just had to have a commentary session with star Patty McCormack and it does, as she lends her thoughts on assorted topics. She discusses the movie itself, but also the world of child stars and the impact stardom can have on children. Not the best track I’ve heard of late, but kudos to Warner for getting McCormack to do so. This disc also includes a new interview with McCormack, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
