The Bad Seed

"For little Rhoda, murder is child's play."

Sep 12 1956 Approved 2h 9m
Drama, Horror, Thriller

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, adore their daughter Rhoda, despite her secret tendency for selfishness. Christine keeps her knowledge of her daughter's darker side to herself, but when a schoolmate of Rhoda's dies mysteriously, her self-deception unravels.

Plot

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.

Written by

John Lee Mahin, Maxwell Anderson, William March

Directed by

Mervyn LeRoy

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 4 Oscars. 1 win & 6 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
16,535
Average Rating
7.4 out of 10
Metascore
51
Popularity
NA