It had a good start. But then it turned into a lousy lifetime movie. Watch the 1956 original instead! It had so much more depth and feeling. This one started out with some depth but got shallower and shallower. Soon enough it was like you are watching a puddle. I couldn't wait for it to end. It was really an unpleasant movie to watch. The entire time, I mentally compared it to the original and wished I was watching that one instead. Emma and the acting wasn't too bad. But the dramatic scenes of Chloe in the garage just didn't match the horror of Henry Jones. The distraught mother in 1956 held a lot more emotion. The best part was when Patty McCormack said her couple of gem lines. The ending was a little different but nothing to wow you. If given a choice watch the original.
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tomfsloan11 September 2018
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RiskeyD18 September 2018First, McKenna Grace must be a forty year-old actress in a child's body; her performance is that good. One of the best scenes was her practicing being bubbly and sincere in the mirror, then revealing her cold, calculating interior.
I think it was a mistake to make the flick about a single father raising his daughter rather than a mother, like the original. The natural mother/daughter frisson helps build the tension more than the basket-of-kisses father/daughter cliché that we're given here. (The kisses/hugs call and response is how the original play ends. Many of the reviewers here don't seem to realize the ridiculous lightning strike death in the original movie was because the Hayes Office wouldn't allow the film to end like the play did on Broadway, with the mother dying and the daughter living, similar to this remake.) As another reviewer mentioned, the title is meaningless with the change in storyline that doesn't address the idea that evil is in the blood. I kept thinking that there was going to be a reveal that the dead mother was a bad woman, perhaps executed for her crimes, but, alas...
Rob Lowe was really too old to play the father of such a young girl, but never mind. He should maybe concentrate on directing. The pacing moved the film right along. Even the scenes that were logistically problematic, like the wasp nest in the car and especially the babysitter in the garage bit, were deftly shot and exciting to watch. The latter also had some good special effects.
I find it amusing that some reviewers were upset by the use of the word **** while tuning into a movie about a little girl who kills everything in sight. And she wasn't even the one who swore. No, not Little Miss Butter-Wouldn't-Melt-in-Her-Mouth. -
ladyberyl-11 October 2018Most people like the original movie adaptation because the ending is more satisfying. This movie and the stage play is truer to the novel. The ending is irritating.
I'm pleased that Lowe changed the parental gender and a few other things. Otherwise, why bother? -
taylor-1310611 September 2018I do not know why they called it a "remake" it was so very different. Like just so many other cheesy dramas, nothing very special or unusual. And of course it had to take place in not one, but 2 big beautiful glass houses where the original was in an apartment. So much more believable/shocking was the old one. And the performance of the mother of the deceased child, in the original, was spellbinding. People could really "act" back then. Not like today. Most current so called "talent" is just plain boring or filled with bad language.That is supposed to be entertaining?
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paul_haakonsen22 August 2020I don't think I've seen the 1956 version of "The Bad Seed", so how much alike or different the 1956 and 2018 version are I have no idea. Regardless, I sat down to watch this 2018 version as directed by Rob Lowe.
And I must say that I was actually enjoying this movie. The story was quite good, sure it was predictable at times and generic at times, but overall it was a good storyline and plot.
And writer Barbara Marshall definitely did a good job in setting the stage, and slowly building up the movie, right up to the final climax. Well, while the ending was predictable and you saw it coming a mile away, it was still an enjoyable ride getting there.
It should be said, though, that actress Mckenna Grace - playing Emma - really carried this movie phenomenally with her performance. For such a young actress, she showed a tremendous amount of talent. And I think she will have a glorious acting career ahead of her if she continues like this.
However, "The Bad Seed" is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing, because the storyline just doesn't have enough contents to it to support more than a single viewing. But worry not, as it is an enjoyable movie and well worth taking the time to sit down to watch.
I am rating this 2018 version of "The Bad Seed" a six out of ten stars. For a TV movie, this was pretty good. -
clintchappell7022 August 2020Well worth a look, not far short of being a genuine cinematic release.
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hsimpleton16 September 2018I just finished watching this 2018 remake of the 1956 classic, and I am so disappointed. Why mess with/up perfection with nonsense?
Right from the beginning you can see that Emma/Rhoda is in control of her weak-minded widowed father. Hr caters to her every whim, and turns a blind eye to her blatant faults. When she starts killing (beginning with the cat, then moving on to her classmate, the headmistress, then her nanny) I was expecting the Dad to get a clue? Like IMMEDIATELY. Especially when he is TOLD by the headmistress that his precious Emma was with the dead boy right before he died? And what about when he finds out that she has that dead kid's medal after all? After she told him and the kid's parent's that she was NOT with him? And her Dad saw that the hornet's nest was missing after being told that the headmistress DIED FROM ONE IN HER CAR??????? Really? Then he thinks he can just go lay down and catch a couple of winks , LOLOLOL!!!!! JUST. DUMB.
Oh, and don't get me started on the "Nanny", okayyyy??? I mean, how she gon' let that 9-yr old psycho get the drop on her like that when she KNEW WHO/WHAT she was dealing with, as well as what she (Emma) was capable of....Unbelievable....And of course she (Emma) gets away with being a Murderous Mega Brat, instead of being exposed by hidden camera footage (that the Dad could have had installed w/o her knowing) or something....JS
Welp, all in all, it was a dud remake, and all of the adults in the film were a joke, so BOO. HISS. throw them ALL away!
Don't waste your time, watch the original and see what REALLY should happen to future serial killers like her. -
Headturner110 September 2018I love the original but I really enjoyed this. People need to quit comparing things to originals. I mean tat was 50 years ago. If it was 4 that's different. The little grl has big things coming. Sh is really good. Loved her! I thought the nanny was cheezy at first but the fact that she was a psychopath too was cool. Rob lowe was good but Grace was the standout. They left it open ended to perhaps make another. I hope they do. And I was just reading some of the new reviews. Please people! Rob lowe is too old to have a daughter that age. Swearing? Omg. This is 2018. And it's not genetic people. Lol. Just because they found out in the original. Good grief.
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chrisathanassiadis16 January 2019I just created an account to write a few things.I have not seen any other original or remake so my review would be for this.
1.How on earth did a 9 year old girl grab a ladder,wear a special suit for wasps (been there and done that) actually pull apart the wasps nest without damaging it (it's like paper) find the teacher's car,manage to somehow get in it and place the nest in there......?SERIOUSLY? I mean how is it it even possible?Please someone explain this to me. 2.My partner and I knew she had changed the cups (at the end)...How did he not know? 3.She found the gun,fired it,missed(!!!!!!!!) and the father did not go deaf? I mean even for a few seconds? 4.How would a psychiatrist,even say that she looks 100% from the first visit.With thousands of cases (she said it) she would have come upon psychotic children acting normal? She dismisses everything bad about the girl... 5.Why didn't the guy who shot him,shoot him in the leg or hit him on the head to knock him out?
There are a lot more that I cannot recall but overall just bad directing... -
Intermissionman_18 September 2020I went to Rob Lowe Live in San Diego at Balboa Theatre 2018 He discussed This Film and co star Mckenna Grace. My Mom DVR for me but took me 2 yrs to visit . Anyway finally watched Movie today. Thought it was fairly scary with a few creepy characters. Mr Lowe produced and directed himself. Nice job by Him to get it made. Horror Genre Hot. Predictable Storyline but Ending adds to the Spook😠 stay for A Basket Full of Hugs !
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metallisktispe59523 September 2018Someone take Rob Lowe's directing license that ending was terrible
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tle_mgr11 September 2018But when isn't it? Everyone played their roles, albeit with some changes than the original. The little girl was spot on, had this been done about ten years earlier, the girl who played in "The Orphan" would have been perfect also. I nearly spat my drink out when the psychiatrist, who played the original 1956 little girl, to her father that she was okay and was EXACTLY like her, when she was her age. LOL
Lowe decided to go a different direction at the end, but all in all, the movies wasn't bad and the girl was just as evil and crafty as the original.
I only now learned there was 1985 version, but will probably see that another time. -
eclar-0238017 April 2020Lifetime is mostly known for their formulaic, made for TV movies, but something about this one is quite refreshing. Maybe it's because they're using known actors and a known director.
Pros: The acting (particularly the performances of McKenna Grace and Rob Lowe), the music, the direction, and the ending.
Cons: A couple of considerable plot holes (how does a little girl remove a wasp's nest and tape it onto someone's backseat without anyone noticing?) Some characters also feel incredibly dumbed down.
I give this film a 7/10. -
Opinion0212210 September 2018I was hoping I'd enjoy this updated version of the bad seed as much as the original, but it is a very poor shadow of the first. There is no doubt, from the very first, that the little girl is a sociopath. Everything points to it, even the music. The addition of the nanny character is a poor choice, too. She replaces the character of the caretaker in the original. And the original loving mom is replaced with a single widowed dad.
Don't waste your time with this one. Look for the original.. -
jmcarollo-650-9012392 November 2018The book and play were masterpieces of psychological theories in the 1950s. The studios bowed to the censors when making the film and altered the ending. But this atrocity is beyond reason the worst concept of remaking anything of that era. Even changing her name to EMMA? As Monika stated in the original film's ending, "We still have Rhoda" bites the dust, I recommend everyone avoid this throwaway schlock and read the novel, rent or stream the original film and enjoy the REAL show!
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Ghostwriter143 November 2018While by no means at the same caliber of the original, this remake was passable. Some things that bothered me were some of the changes. For example, I'm not sure why they decided to change her name from Rhoda to Emma, and this irked me the same way it did when they changed it to Rachel in the 85 version . It's said that the mother died when Emma was a baby and they could've easily written in where the mother was fond of old-fashioned names and named her Rhoda. In the same way, not sure why they renamed Claude Milo as he could've easily been a different nationality as it was a prep school setting and it's not unreasonable to think that other ethnics could make it into the school. Maybe Lowe was afraid that people would accuse him of just using the names in an updated setting? Not sure.
I didn't really mind the gender swap of Chloe for Leroy or the dad for the mom as it still worked and I had always wondered how the dad would react in the 50s version if he had found out what his wife did. And seeing Robe Lowe's character David trying to take a more active role in trying to stop her from killing up until the cops were called and forced to kill him was pretty cool.
One thing I felt worked was showing more of Emma's sociopathic tendencies with her questioning why people get sad and her practicing the phrase "a basket of kisses" in front of the mirror as it gives the viewers a bit of a chill to see just how disconnected she is from the rest of society. And my favorite part was seeing Patty McCormack (the original Bad Seed) as the counselor Miss March. This told me a lot about the script as she had been offered a part in the 80s adaption and promptly turned it down after reading the script. so the fact that she agreed to do a role in THIS adaption tells me that she approved of the script and why it gets higher than a five. -
amgee-8955124 October 2018Pretty Good Television Movie remake of The Bad Seed. The acting was pretty good especially the child actress. Rob Lowe done a good job directing the remake. It was creepy at times. It's definitely the best Lifetime movie of this year. It's definitely worth an watch. 7/10
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dweilermg-13 November 2018While I enjoyed both the 1956 movie and the 1980s MFTV remake that was truer to the original novel. This version was just too different from the story we loved in past versions. The girl semed too brooding unlike Patty McCormick's Rhoda who seemed so sweet and lovable contrary to her real sociopathic personality fooling everyone who knew her except Leroy. The name of her victim was changed. Despite some similarities to original this version just failed to hold my interest. Just too bizarre.
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backura16 September 2018They did a very good job of updating the story to fit today's attitudes and the times in which we live. I have always been a Rob Lowe fan and he nailed the single parent going from denial to realization that his child is a sociopath lacking empathy or respect for living beings.
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seashell3624 September 2018Why remake a classic movie like The Bad Seed? The kid wasn't remotely scary or creepy, she was just annoying. Not even including the original "Bad Seed" Patty McCormack as the shrink could save this. This movie deserves the "little pink chair" ASAP.
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trgs5173-406-81401930 October 2018I love and have seen the original version multiple times but I do understand that this is an updated version so of course it's going to be different. McKenna was great as the creepy little murderer this time around. She was spot on at being emotionless and then trying to show some emotion when she had to as to not be found out what she has all done. The nanny now being the adult to be a shady character that recognizes Emma's evil ways and tries to play mind games with her was a good adversary. And of course Patty McCormack had the best lines in the movie! So glad she was able to cameo in it. My problems with the movie was I thought Rob Lowe's portrayal of the dad was so emotionless most of the time. Yes he was a good doting father (and it didn't bother me that it was a father instead of a mother like the original) but just in how he would talk in everyday situations with any of the characters he had no inflection in his voice. He was very monotone. He did an excellent job with the directing but I didn't care for the dad being so bland. Also when Emma turns on the gas in the house and then leaves and he wakes up and smells it, turns it off and realizes what she was trying to do he confronts her outside and then a couple minutes later they are going back inside...to the house filled with gas smell. But my biggest problem was at the end where he was going to give her the spiked drink and when she asks for whipped topping he sets them down next to her and leaves the room!! Of course she's going to switch them! He should have understood by that time how smart and conniving his daughter is and should never have left them unattended with her right there. She already tried to kill him. That was a dumb move on his part. The different ending from the original with her living and the parent dying didn't bother me but I hope that the aunt who's now going to be the guardian of Emma will not just be blind to what her brother was trying to tell her and why he was all of a sudden trying to kill his daughter with no signs of him being "sick" prior. That could be a good sequel to this version. But all in all it was a good suspense movie especially being from Lifetime.
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jimdavidson-195328 September 2019It's hard to fathom what goes through the minds of Hollywood producers these days. They remake a classic and leave an imprint of bad acting, bad directing and bad rewriting. It's as it a bunch of stoned writers sit around in a Starbucks in from of their Powerbooks, steal an idea, then, one after another, start pulling "brilliant" ideas out of their asses.
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jessiesplace10 September 2018This thriller/horror is one good one. It does not amount to the original in the 1950s but this one is all by it self. Emma is a girl who knows what she wants and shows the true signs of a psychopath. The creepy music, the acting, and the feeling of always being on your toes help with this movie. The gore is very low and the lack of emotions is very high. I suggest watching the bad seed if you haven't already done so
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BatBanks12 September 2018Lifetime TV movie is second remake of 1950's classic movie, This time the father find out about his daughter's responsible of horrific deaths. Rob Lowe directed & star in this.
Turned out the movie is surprised good. They cast the right child actress to play Rhoda now renamed as Emma. McKenna Grace (Designated Survivor & Gifted), she did good job, she brought the creepy and coldness to the role. She showed how deceitful her character could be; Her hair is dyed black making her look like Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and makes her scary. Rob Lowe did good job as the father who's discover his young child actions. He is torn as to what to do and he is both shock and sad. There was good & funny interactive with Emma and young nanny (female version of Leroy of the original version). She can see through her and the father/daughter relationship. Patty McCormick made cameo role as the child psychiatrist and made two joke lines "I did exactly what you did when I was your age" and "She remind me of myself". Of course they had to modernize by changing some things and the ending was change from the movie version (they stayed true to the original book ending). -
wearelambily11 September 2018One word: terrible. The original is much, much better.