The Bad Seed (2018)
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A chilling tale of a young girl whose hidden, sociopathic nature begins to unravel the lives of those around her.
The story
Nine-year-old Emma Grossman expresses to her father, David, her desire to win a Citizenship medal. However, when she loses the award to a classmate, her internal resentment surfaces. While her father believes she is merely disappointed, Emma's actions suggest a much darker nature. When a new babysitter, Chloe, is hired, Emma begins to manipulate and threaten her. As the truth of Emma's behavior begins to surface to those around her, David must confront the reality of his daughter's actions and the danger she poses to others.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Emma pushes her classmate Milo off a cliff and steals his medal, she maintains a facade of innocence. When her teacher, Mrs. Ellis, and an investigator visit, Emma creates a distraction to drive them away. Later, she lures and kills her babysitter, Chloe, after being taunted by her. When David discovers the truth about her crimes, he takes her to a remote lake house to end their lives. However, Emma outsmarts him, and in the ensuing confrontation, a caretaker finds them and shoots David, believing Emma is evil. The film ends with Emma smiling as she is taken in by her aunt.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 87
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Lowe
- Writers
- Barbara Marshall · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mckenna Grace · Emma Grossman; Rob Lowe · David Grossman; Sarah Dugdale · Chloe; Marci T. House · Mrs. Ellis; Lorne Cardinal · Brian; Chris Shields · Sheriff Peterson; Cara Buono · Angela Grossman; Patty McCormack · Dr. March
- Genres
- horror; drama
- Themes
- juvenile delinquency; psychopathy
- Tone and mood
- horror; thriller
- Setting
- A contemporary suburban environment and a remote lake house.
- Premise and plot tags
- remake; serial killer
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1954 novel by William March, the 1954 play, and the 1956 film.
- Franchise connections
- The Bad Seed
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with critics noting it achieved a baseline of 'trashy fun' but lacked consistent tone, being neither dark enough nor campy enough.
- Awards and nominations
- Oscar · nomination · 1956 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film is the second remake of the story.; A special edition was released featuring behind-the-scenes interviews.; A sequel titled The Bad Seed Returns was released in 2022.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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