Boo! It's the "Oscar Horrors" finale with abstew
With her blonde pigtails, pinafore dress, spotless Mary Janes, and armed with an elegant curtsy, little 8-year-old Rhoda Penmark is hardly the most intimidating figure. But beneath that childish visage lies the heart of a cold-blooded killer! One that shocked audiences in the 1950s. The Bad Seed preyed on the idea that evil wasn't some devil or mythical monster, but that it lived next door in the most unassuming of places. And worst of all, that evil was a hereditary trait that could be passed on, with no control over your assigned nature. The evil child has now become a staple of the horror genre, from the towheaded Children of the Corn to the twins from The Shining, but one of the first to make her mark (literally - watch out for those deadly shoes!) was bad seed, Rhoda Penmark, brought to life by Best Supporting Actress nominee, Patty McCormack.
I was about Rhoda's age when I first saw The Bad Seed at my friend Vicky's house...
Vicky's parents didn't monitor what she watched as much as my parents did, so I seemed to have gotten my education on 'edgier" films at Vicky's. I was also introduced to Rocky Horror Picture Show and Heathers on visits to her home. I remember being fascinated by Rhoda and her heartless killing. And being drawn to the campy acting (especially from Nancy Kelly as her concerned mother). But I'm not the only one that little Rhoda seems to have made an impression on. The title "Bad Seed" has entered the cultural lexicon to describe a troubled child. And director John Waters name checks Rhoda Penmark in his book Role Models as one of the people he wanted to be growing up. He is even friends in real-life now with the adult Patty McCormack.
Watching the film now probably loses some of its bite, especially where gratuitous violence is found on basic cable. Warner Bros. was so worried that the film might be too much for audiences to handle that they advertised the film as "Adults Only". And the Motion Picture Production Code was worried about portraying a killer that gets away with murder (as Rhoda does in the play), so added not only an ending with her demise by thunderbolt, but a theatrical curtain call in which Kelly spanks McCormack, as if to say, don't worry everyone, it was all just pretend!
But even playing pretend, McCormack's portrayl of Rhoda is a calculated work of a consumate professional. She knows just when to give the perfect look that sends shivers down your spin. And she's especially great in her confession scene, when she reveals jusy how unfeeling she was in the murder of a fellow student that won a penmanship award over her. When the boy won't give her the medal she takes it by force. And her cool demeanor breaks into a fit of hysterics as she describes beating him to death with her shoes. It's a rare moment where Rhoda shows emotion, breaking down like the child she is and reminding us that despite being a killer at heart, she really is still a little girl.
One of the youngest acting nominees of all time (5th youngest in Supporting Actress), McCormack was 11 when she brought Rhoda to the big screen, but had already been acting for most of her young life. The Bad Seed had been with her for years as she previously had originated the role on Broadway in the original 1954 production. Despite protests from Warner Bros. who wanted big name stars for the film adaption, director Mervyn LeRoy was successfully able to bring most of the cast when it transferred to film, including Nancy Kelly (the role had previously won her a Tony) and Eileen Heckart as the alcoholic mother of one of Rhoda's victims. Both actresses also received Oscar nominations along with McCormack. Although McCormack and Heckart lost in their category to Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind. Something I'm sure Rhoda Penmark would not be happy about...
Season 3 Oscar Horrors is a Wrap
The Bad Seed - Supporting Actress
Bram Stoker's Dracula - Makeup
Dr Jekyll & Mr Mouse -Animated Short
Flatliners - Sound Editing
Fatal Attraction - Film Editing
Kwaidan - Foreign Film
Misery - Actress
Pan's Labyrinth - Production Design
The Sixth Sense - Picture
Sleepy Hollow - Production Design
Sweeney Todd - Best Actor
The Uninvited - Cinematography
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? - Cinematography