Film Review: THE BAD SEED (2018): Rob Lowe’s Updated Tale of Evil is Simplified & Streamlined

Mckenna Grace as ‘The Bad Seed’ Emma Grossman.

The Bad Seed (2018) Film Review, a movie directed by Rob Lowe, and starring Mckenna Grace, Rob Lowe, Sara Dugdale, Marci T. House, Lorne Cardinal, Chris Shields, Cara Buono, Patty McCormack, Shauna Johannesen, Luke Roessler, Robert Egger, John Emmet Tracy, Nevis Unipan, Kate Isaac, and Lucas Steagall.

The Bad Seed is the third film adaption of William March’s 1954 novel, starring Mckenna Grace as Emma and Rob Lowe as her father, David.

Barbara Marshall wrote the script, more or less a wholesale departure from it in both plot and premise. She keeps the main theme — children who kill without conscience — remain faithful to the novel, however.

But March was adamant with respect to schema: The premise of the book rested primarily on villainy bred in the bone. He fashioned Rhoda Penmark as a textbook psychopath, far from a random occurrence. This precocious nine-year-old is eventually discovered to be a genetic imprint of her grandmother, the ‘infamous’ Bessie Denker, said to be based in large part on the Midwestern 19th century serial killer Belle Gunness.

This Lifetime production, however, removes that backstory altogether. Emma’s father, David, a widower, played by director Rob Lowe, has no suppressed memories haunting his dreams. He has no close friends, and aside from a sister, Angela, there is no further reference to any family, criminal or otherwise.

In that vein, a few of the original characters from the book remain, and only as casualties: the teacher, Ms. Ellis (Marci T. House) joins medal-winner Milo, (Luke Roessler) among Emma’s victims. The filmmakers made an especially clever decision to replace the handyman Leroy with Chloe (Sarah Dugdale), Emma’s slinky, shrewd twenty-something nanny, who is every bit as opportunistic as her charge, but in the end just as unlucky (or lax) as Leroy had been.

This production, however, still carries plenty of merit. Barbara Marshall’s streamlined plot updated for present day complements the elegant visuals shot by Peter Menzies, Jr.; they have a hard, bright, cold clarity, as though we’re see the world through Emma’s eyes, without softness or sentiment. We see Emma as she sees herself, sitting before her mirror, trying on smiles like ill-fitting clothes appropriate for reasons beyond avarice she never understood and never would. Mckenna Grace, who had portrayed Esther, the young Wife in The Handmaid’s Tale, fits this bill admirably.

By way of comparison, Patty McCormack reprised Rhoda in the 1956 film as she had on stage: a perky, pretty blonde rather than the reserved, gap-toothed plain-Jane that March describes. Also, the Motion Picture Code required an ending in which Rhoda gets struck by lightning, as though by divine retribution. But despite this and other changes, this is still a remarkable work that fully deserved its acclaim.

The 1985 ABC movie-of-the-week restored the original ending, and the opening scene of a truly frightening nightmare was promising, but lost momentum during commercial breaks despite decent work by an impressive cast. Still, these two versions cited above do retain the original argument that some criminals are predetermined by direct lineage, similar both in character and form.

Considering the weight Rob Lowe bears as executive producer, director, and the male lead besides, he didn’t skimp on quality anywhere. He manages to give upscale artisan David Grossman as laid-back, good guy persona, determined to stick by his daughter even as growing suspicion edges out his paternal instincts.

It bears mentioning that there were important (but admittedly necessary) omissions from the novel, however, when bringing all three versions of The Bad Seed to the screen. One is March’s painstaking investment in constructing Bessie’s fascinating backstory by way of reportage, progressing from her marriage to dreamy August Denker, her decimation of the wealthy Denker clan to secure August as patriarch, eliminating her immediate family (except Christine), her fleeing with the loot, her near-escape and sensational capture, and finally her gruesome execution.

The good news is that a sequel, so far untitled, is forthcoming based on this film, scheduled for release on Lifetime Television sometime in 2022. Emma, now 15, resides with her Aunt Angela, and her spouse. Even better, Mckenna Grace, now 15 years old herself, has a hand in writing the script. With that added perspective, Emma may have a special credibility for the audience, taking them into her confidence and allowing deeper exploration into her dark character.

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