When I was a theatre teacher, I could not wait to direct one of my all-time favorite psychological horror plays that featured an eight-year-old as the killer. The premise was spine-tingling and totally intense to even suspect a sweet child was capable of murdering innocent people of all ages without a thought of remorse. In Rhoda’s mind, they all deserved to die so that she could get her way. She was the ultimate sociopath who would make any serial killer appear angelic.
In 1994, I got my chance to bring this story to life on my stage with the perfect, young actress to portray Rhoda. THE BAD SEED was a massive success for my drama department and opened hours of discussion about whether I believed people were born evil. Is there a gene that can be passed down from one generation to the next? Are we doomed if there is a bad seed in our lineage? So many questions that could never be fully answered because no one really knows for sure what makes one person harm another. Maxwell Anderson knew this when he wrote the play, and it became an instant hit on Broadway. It ran for close to 400 performances. The original cast was amazing featuring Nancy Kelly as Christine, (She received the Tony for her brilliant characterization.) Patty McCormack as Rhoda, Henry Jones as Leroy, Evelyn Warden as Veronica, and Eileen Hackett as Mrs. Hortense. What makes this so fascinating is that when Mervyn LeRoy decided in 1956 to direct the film version of THE BAD SEED, he hired these Broadway stars for the same roles in his movie production. It couldn’t fail, and in those times, the public flocked to movie theaters to see something they had never seen before, while scaring themselves silly in the process.
For audiences to go on this journey and believe the plot is possible, the characters of Rhoda and Christine had to be perfect. Rhoda’s facial expressions and tone would have to change on a dime every other minute, and the audience had to be surprised and willing to accept outburst after outburst as usual, psychotic behavior. This is a pretty tall order for any actress, let alone a child of ten when filming began. McCormack had to wear make-up that made her look younger, and her dresses were large for her body so she could appear to be merely eight.
Kelly also had the weight of the film on her shoulders since viewers had to accept her mental breakdown when she learns the truth about her daughter. What lengths would any mother go to save her child? How could she ever reveal the truth about the demon who lives within her precious daughter? These were heartbreaking moments to witness. Her decision at the end was logical and emotionally extraordinary. I was so impressed with Anderson’s original ending, but Hollywood had to fu** it up with a lightning bolt. I never did understand the change from the play to the film’s final frames. Sometimes it is best not to mess with what has been proven to work.
THE BAD SEED will haunt audiences, nevertheless. It is an intellectual journey within foggy, gray boundaries filled with a creepy piano bit that can’t be unheard. And I will never offer anyone a “basket of kisses.” Much too dangerous. THE BAD SEED will creep you out. Just make sure to call your parents after and thank them.
THE BAD SEED is available on Prime Video. One last tip: don’t watch the ending credits. They don’t hold up.
