The Bad Seed

Starring:Nancy Kelly, Patricia McCormack, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden, William Hopper, Paul Fix, Jesse White, Gage Clarke, Joan Croydon, Frank Cady, Edna Holland, Adele Taylor (IV), John Truax, Kathy Garver, Vivian Clermont, Dayton Lummis, Don C. Harvey, Shelley Fabares, Frances Bavier
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

"A basket full of kisses for a basket full of hugs." Those are chilling words, at least when uttered by that ice princess, Patty McCormack. As Rhoda Penmark, she is as pretty as a porcelain doll but drips venom with each curtsey and polite response. Little Rhoda's mother is terrified she has passed on her own mother's corruption. Oops, turns out she's right. This passes the test of time, as it still gets under your skin. The character development is tight and the story very involving. Not even Freddy Krueger had the ability to scare like tiny McCormack, looking just like a little adult while she literally beats out the competition for a penmanship award. However, director Mervyn LeRoy's hands were tied over the ending, which was changed from the source material--Maxwell Anderson's hit Broadway play. A supposedly more appropriate, and moral, ending was demanded by the studio. This was remade (badly) in 1985. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

! the bad seed - every character deserved an oscar !!!!!.......2007-06-30

i will never forget seeing this movie the bad seed when i was a young teenager. i have seen it over and over again since my teenage years. this movie is top notch. the acting in this movie is superb. every character in this movie deserved an ACADEMY AWARD. the bad seed is a true, real thriller. this movie has everything. nothing is lacking in this movie. where did they find this child actress ? i am astonished every time i watch this movie at her chilling performance. i do not think i ever saw her in another movie. she should have been at the top of every directors list for a role in their movies. i find acting talent to be lacking. especially, in this type of movie genre. i am always shocked when i see the date this movie was made 1956. this movie was way ahead of its time and underappreciated. everyone should watch this movie and understand afterwards what a true classic it truly is.

The Bad Seed.......2007-06-26

LeRoy's divinely campy classic about a psychopathic child with a suspiciously sweet veneer was adapted from Maxwell Anderson's Broadway play, also starring Kelly and McCormack. When Christine discovers a long-buried secret about her own biological family just as another "accidental" death clouds their home once again, the plot takes a chilling twist. McCormack is one of the eeriest evil dolls you'll see, and Eileen Heckart, playing the mother of Rhoda's first victim, delivers an extraordinary, Oscar-nominated performance. Despite a silly tacked-on ending dictated by sponsors of the day, "The Bad Seed" remains a highly distinctive, creepy little thriller about a very badly misbehaved child. Classic dialogue between Rhoda and her dad: "What will you give me for a basket of hugs?" "A basket of kisses!" Yikes!

melodrama to whip up fear of genetic determinism.......2007-06-06

This is a crude plug for genetic determinism of a sociopathic child murderer. While some of the details of the plot are frightening - a child committing savage acts for the most mundane of motives - the one-sided assumption that it is purely because of "bad genes" ruined the experience for me. Sure, I admit my bias for a combination of genetic temperament with environment to explain who we become, so my revulsion is personal. I just think viewers should know about the film's message,

Awful and badly acted; not as good as the book.......2007-04-17

Having read the book by William March many years ago and really liking it, I recently had the chance to see the film version again. It is obviously not as good as the book; in fact it is pretty terrible and laughable.

It's obvious that it's just an opened up stage play; it seems stiff and stilted and stagey; everyone seems to speak loudly as if trying to make their voices reach the upper balconies of a theater. Pretty badly acted all around but the worst is Nancy Kelly. She got an Oscar nomination for this?? All she does is scream or shout her lines in an increasingly hoarse voice and wrings her hands dramatically almost like a character in a Perils of Pauline movie. She is so laughably bad in every scene and her character is just about as stupid. Finally it takes a hammer to the head for her to figure out what's going on.

Patty McCormack and the usually excellent character actor Henry Jones are both pretty one-note in their performances. Enough said. But the saddest is to see the great Eileen Heckart overacting badly as a grieving drunk of a mother. Her histrionics make you want Rhoda to do away with her too. And the neighbor Monica...equally annoying. I kept waiting for Rhoda to shove her down the stairs just to shut up her incessant prattling on about nothing.

This was a huge hit on Broadway and the cast was carried over for the film version; maybe it worked better on stage, I don't know...but it's a pretty awful film; not the classic it's reputed to be. Not a bit of suspense or horror or anything else here to give you chills. Just a chance to watch some good actors like Heckart and Jones stumble around with a silly script and overact like kids in a high school play. It's a lot of fun to watch if your intent is to not take it seriously and to make fun of it. Then you should have a good time.

****SPOILER FOLLOWS****

Best part? The end when Rhoda gets nailed by a bolt of lightning. Too bad the lightning didn't get her mom at some point early on.

Back When Hollywood Knew How To TOTALLY CREEP YOU OUT!.......2007-04-12

Nothing creeps out and frightens and audience on more levels than something horrorable that could honestly happen in real life. The other creepy thing about this movie is the question it asks. Are truly bad people bornas a result of bad genes or made products of maladjustedf enironments growing up, which is the primise of this movie.

Too look at her the young girl child in the bad seed is on her surface sugar and spice and everything nice. But under that sweet gentle refined lady like exterior beats the heart of an uncompromising savage willing to do, say and hurt anyone to get her way. The child in this movie is a champion manipulator who beleives all people are put on this Earth specifically for her use as she see's fit. The child is an absolute sadist. The funny thing is part of you is taken in by her sweet darling image. The most wonderful thing abouut the Bad Seed is its ending, you think she gets off but does she really! Watch the movie. The Bad Seed is in all ways shocking and funny.

Average customer rating:

The Truth is Out There
Scary but informative
Bad Seed was very bad indeed.
Must see video on the hazards of genetic engineering of food

Bad Seed: The Truth About Our Food
Starring: Bad Seed-Truth About Our Food
Manufacturer: UFO TV
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Science & Technology | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Fitness & Yoga | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Genetically Modified Food: Panacea or Poison
Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World
The Future of Food
Fed Up !
Chemtrails: The Video

ASIN: B000FS2WIU
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Description

This documentary exposes a vast conspiracy to contaminate and control the world's food supply through genetic engineering of food crops. Leading scientists, researchers and activists present the facts that you need to know about genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The methods used to genetically engineer plants are imprecise and extremely dangerous. Eighty percent of food sold in North America already has ingredients made of GMOs that have not been adequately tested for safety. This program presents all the facts about this alarming controversy and features the best-known, most credible bio tech / agriculture authorities in the world today.

Customer Reviews:

The Truth is Out There.......2007-05-13

This is crucial information to get out to everyone who eats! This DVD does a good job at waking us up to the "Truth" about the corruption amongst the FDA and the Agro-Chemical industry. It's a must see and a must pass on to everyone concerned about the health and well being of others and our planet. As the film suggests, we as individuals have the power to stop this. INSIST ON ANSWERS from your local grocery, from your local farmers, from your local governments. The film's presenters seem truthworthy and articulate very clearly the loss of FDA accountability for our food safety, the lack of research about GMO's and the dismissal of our right to choose and know about what we put in our bodies. This is a low budget production, but it's rawness matches it's message.

Scary but informative.......2006-12-01

I saw the feature length version of this film in the theater, then purchased
this special edition. The special edition has extra interviews with various
experts. It was really informative. As with the movie itself, you probably
have to watch the extras twice to absorb all the information.

Bad Seed was very bad indeed........2006-11-10

I purchased Bad Seed to use in my nutrition class. I was very disappointed. It had no narration to lead the events and the videography was very amateurish.

Must see video on the hazards of genetic engineering of food.......2006-06-14

If you didn't know that 60% of food sold in North America contains ingredients of genetically modified plants and that the ingredients are hazardous to human health and the planet, you will really know it after seeing this video.

"Bad Seed - The Truth About Our Food" is a relatively low budget but highly effective documentary with a gripping story and credible information. The video contains interviews with a wide range of experts as well as just activists and farmers.

Unlike many documentaries this one doesn't include a bunch of cheesey footage from public domain stock footage from the 50s and 60s. Intead it uses parodies of Monsanto ads to add a little spice of humor.

The animation sequences are good and there is a segment on the evils of Monsanto that really brings the message home.

This video is not nearly as polished or as boring as the other documentary on GMOs "The Future of Food" and focuses more on the health consequences of GMOs rather than the impact on agriculture.

If you eat, you must watch this video, otherwise you won't really know what you are eating or the consequences of your eating choices.

Average customer rating:

What a Stinker!!
PLAIN STUPID
DARK THRILLER
Good performances, interesting concept
Making the best out of nothing

Bad Seed
Starring: Luke Wilson , Norman Reedus , Dennis Farina , Mili Avital , and Vincent Kartheiser
Director: Jon Bokenkamp
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Floating
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Gossip

ASIN: B00005JRMX
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Amazon.com

Luke Wilson stars in this above-average thriller with complex morals. Bad Seed starts off with a bang, with an affair and two murders in the first 15 minutes. Preston, the wronged husband (Wilson), is soon on the run, with both the police and his wife's lover hot on his trail. Norman Reedus, while good as Preston's nemesis, is faintly miscast; he's so creepy that you never quite believe he could lure anyone into romance. Dennis Farina, on the other hand, gives an engaging performance as Dick, the private eye who takes on Preston's case. Bad Seed has a few dodgy plot points, but it is far more thoughtful than most movies of its genre. Preston is far from perfect and he wrestles with his flaws throughout the movie. Most interestingly, Bad Seed refuses to end when most thrillers would, taking a surprising amount of time and care with its denouement. Well worth a look. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

What a Stinker!!.......2006-02-21

Do not waste your time with this piece of trash. PEEE U. This movie made no sense. It's hard to believe that it was ever released in the theater!! Borefest. So many holes in it. Didn't make sense--especially the ending. I'd like to know where the title came from...Bad Seed? the only thing I could think of was maybe they were referring to the retarded brother who was killed and buried, I guess that could be considered a big rotten stinking bad seed. This movie should've been called Bad Movie!

PLAIN STUPID.......2005-12-26

Oh, my God! This is one of the most idiotic movies I've ever seen, and I'm not prejudiced. It's advertised as a psychological thriller with a message, but I haven't seen any psychology or thriller or message here. First, the film is full of plot holes and they are not unnoticeable - they jump into your eyes! The acting is very poor (except Dennis Farina) although Luke Wilson is a good actor and I used to see him in good pictures. The storyline itself is very hitchy, different things happen that are difficult to understand (I mean motivation), characters' behaviour is also totally unmotivated. I'm not going to retell some scenes not to spoil them for you, although there's practically nothing to spoil here, I'll just give you some examples.
As the movie goes, guy #1 is chasing guy #2 willing to kill him. At certan point guy #2 starts chasing guy #1 and the latter tries to escape. Why?! He just wanted to catch and kill guy #2! During the other persuit guy #1 is firing his gun at guy #2 being at a long distance. He misses. Then, when he's at arms length, he doesn't shoot. Why? There's no chance to miss! In another scene two of them arrange a rendezvous at a remote gas station at night. Guy #2 knows that guy #1 wants to kill him. They meet, guy #1 has a tire lever in his hand. If you were guy #2 would you turn your back on him? I guess not, it's stupid, but apparently guy #2 doesn't think so... Then one guy's clothes is sopping with gasoline and the other chases him with a lighter. He throws the lighter and the other guy's clothes ignites. I doubt that, if thrown, a lighter (even Zippo) doesn't extinguish itself, and even if it doesn't, I doubt you can ignit a person throwing a lighter from ten or fifteen yards. Dennis Farina's character is a very harsh and impudent private investigator who'd make his own mother pay him for preparing coffee for her. You wouldn't expect some warm attitude from him toward other people. But suddenly we see his character is a very sympathetic person who wants to help Luke Wilson with open arms. Why? I didn't see him changing slowly. Just in a blink of an eye he turned out to be caring and kind person. And such episodes happen throughout the whole movie. I was asking myself all the time: why? is that possible? how did he do that? what for? along with many other questions.
I felt like the movie was falling apart in front of my eyes, it seemed so impotent and helpless. Maybe it was a good story once in the head of the director, but he proved himself to be absolutely uncapable to put it on celluloid. And the worst thing is that the picture tries to be something more than just ordinary thriller, it tries to seem thoughtful and serious work. But it can't. It's just like elementary school pupils decided to stage some serious play and - yes, they are doing it with all their seriousness, but to us it all looks just hilarious. Hence it leaves the feeling of a terrible disappointment.
The only reason I kept watching it to the end was Dennis Farina. He was like a glue, trying to stick all the parts of the movie together and working for everybody else involved. He's a brilliant, extremely talented actor, real professional, it was a true pleasure to watch him here, but sometimes I felt pity for him, because he somehow wound up being in this horrendous film. I think Farina is the only reason also why I gave the movie two stars. If it was not for him, there'd be one for sure.

DARK THRILLER.......2004-03-26

BAD SEED is one dark movie, complex and intriguing in its concept. Luke Wilson plays Preston Tilton, a man who discovers his wife is having an affair; after an argument, he comes home and finds her dead. Wilson is sure that her cast off lover, played by Norman Reedus, is the culprit. He finds out where Reedus lives, and after breaking in, is attacked and ends up killing the ex-lover. Wrong! He has killed the lover's retarded brother instead. Loverboy has a videotape of Wilson committing this murder, and from there, we are spun into a brooding and complex maze of mystery. Wilson does okay in the role, but there are key scenes where he seems to be struggling with his character; Reedus is almost too sleazy to be credible as a lover; but, and this is a big but..DENNIS FARINA steals the movie as PI Dick, who helps Wilson find out the truth. Farina brings a lot of passion and conviction to a role that could have been secondary. But as the movie winds down, Farina's performance is what keeps the movie floating. A no-compromise ending also makes this a different film.
Interesting and worth a view.

Good performances, interesting concept.......2002-01-30

The concept of this film deals with what a normal person would do under extreme circumstances. In this case what would you do if your spouse has an affair and is then murdered. Luke Wilson gives a nice performance as Preston husband of the murdered woman. He plays Preston as a well rounded character never too nice and never going too far over the top as to make it unbeleiveable. Denis Farina also gives a great performance and he and Wilson work well together. The best thing about this film is the relationship between Preston and Jonathan played by Norman Reedus. Both characters remain realistic throughout their extrodinary situations. This DVD is worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of Luke Wilson or, the director, Jon Bokenkamp. There is a very interesting and entertaining commentary track with Wilson and Bokenkamp as well as a production featurette and behind the scenes production photos. There is also a second commentary track with Bokenkamp and the producer, but I have yet to listen to it.

Making the best out of nothing.......2001-07-12

Highly simplistic storyline made into a damn good "B" movie! Preston's wife Emily has an affair with Jonathan and from there on, EVERYTHING goes wrong! At times, this movie has that "L.A. Confidential pulp-type" feel to it which make it quite right especially when Preston goes to visit a private investigator. He turns out to be, well, let's say, not too conventional in his techniques. A non-Hollywood ending which, of course, will give it that "flop" status. Could be better but I must commend Jon Bokenkamp on his efforts. Flick stars Luke Wilson, Norman Reedus, Dennis Farina & Mili Avital. Worth a watch!

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? / The Bad Seed (Two-Pack)

Average customer rating:

BUYER BEWARE

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? / The Bad Seed (Two-Pack)
Starring: Warner 2pak
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Imitation of Life (Two Movie Collection) 1934/1959
The Bad Seed
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Mommie Dearest (Special Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0002QO41I
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

BUYER BEWARE.......2006-02-15

I GIVE THE DVD A 1 STAR NOT THE MOVIE. JUST TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT A NEW 2 DISC EDITION IS COMING OUT OF THIS FILM.

Now... here's a look at some more of the 200 new-to-DVD titles coming in 2006:
The Bette Davis Collection, Volume 2 - including a new Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?: Two-Disc Special Edition (1962 - with new and vintage documentaries and never-before-seen footage), Jezebel (1938), Old Acquaintance (1943), Marked Woman (1937) and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942).

STAY TUNED TO DIGITAL BITS FOR RELEASE DATES- http://www.thedigitalbits.com

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