The Bad Seed (1956)

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Videos & Photos

  • Trailer for this incredible story of an evil little girl

Movie Info & Cast

Runtime:

2hr 9m

Synopsis

A woman realizes her daughter was born to kill.

Cast

  • Gage Clarke
  • Joan Croydon

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.7
33.0K
22.1K
8.8K
RATINGS 195 FANS
3.7
  • Jun 4, 2019

    Me: Hope her flashlight is metallic so she gets hit by lighting Me, 2 seconds later: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

    0 Likes
    Sara Clements
    Sara Clements
    Oct 22, 2020

    There’s a disclaimer at the end of The Bad Seed kindly requesting that audiences not spoil the film’s climax.  This is not done, as one might expect, with the intent to conceal any great plot twist or revelation, but rather, for the simple reason that if anyone knew how…

    0 Likes
    Christian Ryan
    Christian Ryan
    Dec 22, 2022

    Veruca Salt’s grandma perhaps, or is this simply the most psychopathically deranged pair of blonde pigtails of the 50s? Young Rhoda is a piece of work alright, and what at first seems like a simple case of spoiled brat syndrome soon becomes so much more. More lies. More…

    0 Likes
    Graham
    Graham
  •
    Oct 19, 2025

    Day 17 of 31 days of horror 2025 Killer kids This was such a good slow burn horror i liked it so much. The story was well written and it was kinda sad and depressing by the end. The acting was pretty good as well everyone did an amazing job, especially the little…

    0 Likes
    horrormika
    horrormika
    Aug 1, 2016

    I can't wait to have a child of my own one day! :)

    0 Likes
    Craig
    Craig
    Apr 8, 2022

    the feminine urge to gaslight your mom

    0 Likes
    vanessa
    vanessa
  •
    Oct 4, 2020

    "Claude was dead. He wouldn't know if he had the medal pinned on him or not." Rhoda is the GOP

    0 Likes
    Justin LaLiberty
    Justin LaLiberty
    Jan 28, 2020

    2nd Melvyn LeRoy (after Gold Diggers of 1933) Is this film talky? Yes. Is it very obviously based on a stage play? Yes. But my god is it terrifying. Not in the creation of moments of actual horror, mind, but in the deep moral unease it creates from its central premise-…

    0 Likes
    𝔻𝕠𝕔 𝕃𝕪𝕠𝕟
    𝔻𝕠𝕔 𝕃𝕪𝕠𝕟
    Sep 13, 2025

    My mother in law remembers The Bad Seed as a BIG deal back in the 50s (controversial).  It’s the tale of nature vs. nurture. Nobody could be born bad, right?  The little girl delivers an excellent psychopath performance. The finale is a total cop out though. I’m guessing…

    0 Likes
    BenGrayeyard
    BenGrayeyard

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

51
metacritic
Based on 10 Critics
tbd

USER SCORE (1)

No score yet based on 1 Reviews
40

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.

Metacritic review by Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
40

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.

Metacritic review by Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
The New York Times
63

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.

Metacritic review by Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is The Bad Seed (1956)?
The movie is 2hr 9min long.
What's The Bad Seed (1956) about?
A woman realizes her daughter was born to kill.
Who's the cast of The Bad Seed (1956)?
  • Gage Clarke as Reginald Tasker
  • Joan Croydon as Claudia Fern