"What will you give me for a basketful of kisses?"
Angelic Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) in "The Bad Seed."

Based on the successful Broadway production, itself based on a best-selling book, "The Bad Seed" was released in 1956 and proved a substantial hit for Warner Bros. Pictures. Though critically acclaimed upon its initial release, it has in recent years been more revered as a camp classic, one of the so-bad-it's-good variety. It's usually associated with kitsch melodramas like "Valley of the Dolls" and "Imitation of Life;" two films that really do warrant their infamous reputations. What makes Mervyn LeRoy's "The Bad Seed" so misunderstood is its slavish loyalty to its theatrical counterpart. Most of the cast from the original Broadway show were recruited to reprise their roles and very little seems to have been altered to "open up" the material visually. This gives the entire production a heavy stage-bound aesthetic, something that has divided its audience for many years. Regardless of its execution, "The Bad Seed" is anything but bad and succeeds as both an absorbing drama and an unnerving thriller.

The story revolves around the antics of eerily polite Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack), an 8-year-old girl who hides a dark side just beneath her sickly sweet veneer. When a classmate wins a penmanship award that she highly covets, he soon ends up dead. All signs seem to point to Rhoda as the murderer, but her mother Christine (Nancy Kelly) tries admirably to deny the truth. Christine's slow, suffocating realization that her daughter might be a cold-blooded murderer is the emotional core of the story. One that is more relevant today than it was almost 50 years ago. The basic theme explored: 'is evil something that is learned, the product of an unstable environment or is it genetic and therefore inevitable?' was truly ahead of its time. Though the original novel (written by William March) and its subsequent incarnations never go much further to explore the query, the implied answer is what makes the events so chilling. Rhoda leads a seemingly perfect life with her loving parents: an engaged father (a colonel who leaves for military duty early on) and an adoring mother. She's surrounded by supportive family and friends and yet... something is clearly wrong. There's little room for doubt where March felt the argument ended.

The main point of contention with critics of LeRoy's production are the performances. Many feel that they are too stylized, too theatrical for the medium of film. It's true that the actors seem to have changed little from their theatrical portrayals. McCormack does acknowledge this on the DVD and stresses that the heightened reality was intentional on the director's part. Her view is that LeRoy wanted to keep the essential dynamics of what made the stage production so memorable. What separates "The Bad Seed" from its celebrated counterparts in camp is that while the performances are extreme, everyone is genuinely sincere in their portrayal and always believable. The acting is also what makes the film such an unforgettable experience; an operatic Lynchian nightmare before such a term even existed. Kelly gives a wonderfully complex performance as the guilt ridden mother; at once heartbreaking and frenzied. The wonderful Eileen Heckart is stunning as Mrs. Daigle, the suspicious mother of the dead classmate. Her scenes with Kelly offer a dynamic rarely seen in suspense films; two antagonistic characters who share a deep unspoken empathy. McCormack, who has had an eclectic career as an actress (she played Jeffrey Tambor's wife on the "Three's Company spin-off "The Ropers!"), is unnerving as the cunning, remorseless Rhoda. Her adult facade coupled with her character's childish extremes are scarier than any cinematic mass murderer. The rest of the cast is equally good, especially Henry Jones as the creepy gardener who sees right through the "bad seed." His scenes with McCormack have a sick, deviant feel that would border on pedophilia if the character of Rhoda weren't so "adult." Though time has been a bit harsh to the "Bad" ensemble, each of the three actresses were nominated for an Academy Award. Context is everything.

The screenplay, adapted by John Lee Mahin (from Maxwell Anderson's play) gives the actors much to work with. Literate and deliberately paced, Mahin's script anchors the dramatic performances with its subtle, knowing dialogue. The B&W cinematography by Harold Rosson (also nominated for an Oscar) adds another layer of dread to the proceedings. The interior lighting and taught composition accentuate the heightened drama. The back lot sets are used to maximum effect and are captured in a lush, yet foreboding, style. Rosson was a master of storytelling through light and composition. He shot hundreds of memorable films during his distinguished career including "The Wizard of Oz," "Singin' in the Rain" and numerous B&W productions of various genres.

The one major flaw of the film is that it goes on about 15 minutes longer than necessary. After the story reaches its dark, appropriate conclusion a studio-imposed "moral ending" is shoehorned into drama. The film code at the time dictated that certain behaviors be punished, making the play's downbeat climax unacceptable. So a bizarre "hand of god" inclusion caps off the film. To LeRoy's credit, it's shrewdly integrated into the film visually and even manages to remain faithful to the established story line. However, it loses momentum after the true climax and leaves a dishonest shadow over the tightly constructed narrative.

This Warner Brother's DVD release includes a pristine print of the film. Though curiously not letterboxed, the DVD copy promises the original aspect ration has been preserved. Rosson's composition seems accurate and the B&W photography is startlingly vivid. The Dolby Digital sound mix is strong and clear; free from any noticeable distortion. Though there is no mention of restoration, the print looks like it was struck from the original elements just yesterday. The extras are few, but will be interesting to long-time fans of the film. A new "making-of documentary" is included, which is nothing more than a 15 minute interview with actress Patty McCormack interspersed with lobby card photos. It's far too short to be deemed a documentary and a bit superfluous as much of the information is repeated in the audio commentary. Writer/actor (and drag "artist") Charles Busch contributes to the running commentary along with McCormack. His inclusion only helps maintain the film's reputation as a "camp classic." He even alludes to Kelly's performance as an inspiration for his drag personae in "Die, Mommy, Die!" However, Busch seems to genuinely love the film and does a great job uncovering lots of interesting facts in his dialogue with McCormack. If only every audio commentary was as spirited and enlightening as this one. Also included is the original trailer, which illustrates just how clueless (or scared) Warner's was about the subject matter. It was sold as a hard-hitting drama with a rather ambiguous plot. If it had been made just a few years later (post-"Psycho," 1960) the more suspenseful aspects would have surely been a selling point.

Though not regarded as a classic (even the Warner's DVD copy can only muster up "one of the great ones"), this timeless thriller is just as disturbing today as it was upon its original release. Far from "campy fun," "The Bad Seed" is an extreme nightmare and one that stays with the viewer long after the credits end.