Rhoda Penmark seems like your average, sweet eight-year-old girl. When her rival at school dies in mysterious circumstances at the school picnic her mother starts to suspect that Rhoda was responsible. However, if she is correct what should she do about it?

An intriguing thriller directed by Mervyn LeRoy (Waterloo Bridge, Little Women, The Wizard of Oz, Mr Roberts, I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang). Initially not that compelling: things seem to progress in fits and starts. The plot will meander for a while, then something significant happens and makes you think that the film has kicked up a gear only for it to revert to meandering. There's enough interesting stuff happening to keep you watching but there's long stretches where it is quite easy to zone out (and not miss much). These stretches are quite dialogue-filled and dry, making me think I was watching a play rather than a movie.

However, from about the halfway mark the pace does quicken and the last quarter or so is very tense, making for riveting viewing. The ending is great and contains a wonderful, poetic twist.

While the script and direction can be a bit frustrating at times, I can't fault the performances. Ten-year-old Patty McCormack is excellent as Rhoda and Nancy Kelly is great as her mother. However, Eileen Heckart almost steals the show as Mrs Daigle, the dead boy's mother. All three received Oscar nominations.

"Now there's a little ray of sunshine, that one."

An occasionally riveting movie from the 50's about a sunny, charming, sociopathic little girl and her mother's desperate attempts to protect her and hide her nature. The Bad Seed sometimes makes the mistake of focusing too much on the dull adults, but overall, it's a solid movie. Good acting all around, and unlike similar modern movies like Orphan, The Bad Seed gets better as it goes along instead of imploding into an absurd mess. It feels a lot like a play, which is natural due to its evolution from novel to stage-play to film. 

I thought The Bad Seed was a sinister (and relatively timeless) gem of the 50's, and I'm sure it was quite controversial in its time. The ending was changed because of the Hays Code, in fact, and feels a bit like a cop-out as a result, but not to the extent of ruining what came before. Check it out if you're interested.