The Bad Seed

The Bad Seed

129 mins | Drama, Thriller, Horror, Mystery | Sept. 12, 1956

Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, dote on their daughter, Rhoda -- as does their lonely landlady, Monica Breedlove. But self-centered Rhoda has a secret tendency for selfishness and loves to accumulate gifts, whether given or stolen, in her room. 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.

The Bad Seed

129 mins | Drama, Thriller, Horror, Mystery | Sept. 12, 1956

The Bad Seed
Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, dote on their daughter, Rhoda -- as does their lonely landlady, Monica Breedlove. But self-centered Rhoda has a secret tendency for selfishness and loves to accumulate gifts, whether given or stolen, in her room. 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.
IMDb rating 7.4
Producers Warner Bros. Pictures
Original title The Bad Seed
Directors Rusty Meek, Mel Dellar, Mervyn LeRoy, Meta Rebner
Writers William March, Maxwell Anderson, John Lee Mahin

Cast

Nancy Kelly

as Christine Penmark

Patty McCormack

as Rhoda Penmark

Henry Jones

as Leroy Jessup

Eileen Heckart

as Hortense Daigle

Evelyn Varden

as Monica Breedlove

William Hopper

as Col. Kenneth Penmark

Paul Fix

as Richard Bravo

Jesse White

as Emory Wages

Gage Clarke

as Reginald "Reggie" Tasker

Joan Croydon

as Claudia Fern

Frank Cady

as Henry Daigle

Frances Bavier

as Woman at Dinner Party (uncredited)

Violet N. Cane

as Teacher (uncredited)

Vivian Clermont

as Mary Beth Musgrove (uncredited)

Shelley Fabares

as Margie (uncredited)

Kathy Garver

as Rhoda's Classmate (uncredited)

Don C. Harvey

as Guard in Hospital (uncredited)

Edna Holland

as Saleslady (uncredited)

Dayton Lummis

as Doctor (uncredited)

Natalie Masters

as Nurse (uncredited)

Patricia Morrow

as Ginny (uncredited)

Adele Taylor

as Teacher (uncredited)

John Truax

as Sergeant (uncredited)