The Bad Seed
Stars: Rob Lowe, Patty McCormick, Mckenna Grace
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Executive producer, director and star Rob Lowe reimagines the iconic 1956 psychological horror film, “The Bad Seed,” with a new take on a cult classic. Lowe will star as a single father who seems to have everything under control. But when there is a terrible tragedy takes place at his daughter Emma’s (Mckenna Grace) school, he is forced to question everything he thought he knew about his beloved daughter. He slowly begins to question if Emma’s exemplary behavior is just a façade and she played a role in the horrific incident. When more strange things begin to happen, he’s faced with keeping a terrible secret to protect Emma, but ultimately must stop her from striking again.
Thoughts
The movie starts off with lots of eerie images and we see a perfect little girl. Emma is her name and she doesn’t care if cats are drowning in the pond but she is quick to save a wasp. Metaphor for Emma’s life???
Rob Lowe is looking for a replacement nanny/babysitter.(And also mother because she is dead.) He interviews a young lady whose qualifications include black lip liner and making a amazing grilled cheese. (Her secret is pickles and mustard…) Somehow she gets hired to take are of Emma and doesn’t realize that the child is a sociopath.
Emma’s school is like Harry Potter school or something. Emma is expecting to win the school award and is overlooked for the cutest kid, Milo. Emma is a really good actress (The character and the actor.) She acts very happy for Milo but then goes to “play” with him in the woods. While walking on a rocky cliff that over looks the ocean, Emma takes the medal and pushes him off a cliff. We don’t actually see it happen, but it is implied.
The babysitter is back, remember her? Her name is Chloe and she might be evil too. She stares down Emma and steals Xanax. Emma calls Chloe out on stealing and then blackmails her for cookies and ice cream privileges.
At Milo’s funeral, Rob Lowe talks to his mother and they are mystified as to where the medal could have gone. Emma is doing her best fake cry. The mother asks Rob Lowe to go through his photos he took at the award ceremony, so she can remember her sons last day.
While looking through old photos, Rob Lowe notices his daughter eyeing the medal and he is on to his daughter. He even confronts Emma, who says that whoever told him that was lying and then begins to cry about “Milo”
Next is the garrulous Rob Lowe shirtless/shower scene. Thank you Lifetime.
Chloe, the babysitter, is pushing the bounderies and being very flirtatious with Rob Lowe. Her flirting is very awkward and terrible, but she is trying to get it. Chloe’s facade isn’t up with Emma though and she tells Emma that she knows what really happened with Milo. They hold each other secrets against one another call call each other bitches. Chloe might have pushed things too far, when she tells Emma that she is going to Jail and getting the electric chair and then finds the stolen medel and puts it in Rob Lowe’s room.
Emma tries to take the medal but is caught by Rob Lowe. He asks her to tell him what happened. She makes up a story but just ends up calling a child physiologist. He then has a very scary dream sequence. Too bad, his reality is more scary the his dreams. Rob Lowe learns that Emma’s teacher (The one who Emma said was telling lies) ends up dead from a car accident from a wasps nest being placed in her car. (By EMMA!)
At the child physiologist office, the doctor (Played by the original Bad Seed child, Patty McCormack ) sits down with Rob Lowe and Emma. The visit appears to go well, and the doctor event tells Emma that she reminds her of herself when she was young…. GET IT??!?!
The babysistter, remember her? Tells Emma that Rob Lowe is a DILF and that she is going to be her new stepmom. Emma goes right to Rob Lowe and tells him everything Chloe told her. He is shocked and tells Emma that he will take care of the situation, but only after his date with some rano.
While Rob Lowe is away on his date, Chloe realizes that Emma is missing. The babysitter goes to investigate in the shedd (Which contains very flammable paints.) The shedd catches on fire and Chloe goes up in flames with it, all while Emma watches on. When Rob Lowe comes home, Emma tells him not to worry… nothing happened to her.
Late at night, Emma admits to killing Milo, Chloe, her teacher, and the previous nanny. Emma says she did it all because Rob Lowe was oblivious and wouldn’t do anything about it. She goes off the hinges and rages out. Despite all of this Rob Lowe doesn’t contact the police her takes Emma to the lake house.
Rob Lowe wants to go to the lake house to clear his head. All he get is a head full of gas from Emma filling up the house with propane gas and attempting to explode the house. Rob Lowe catches on and crushes all his Xanax into hot chocolate to… kill his daughter?
Duh, Emma swapped out the hot chocolates and tries to shoot her father while he is sleeping from too much Xanax. She misses and wakes up Rob Lowe, then she calls the police and tells them that her dad is trying to kill her. Just as Rob Lowe is about to shoot Emma, the stupid neighbor shoots Rob Lowe and saves Emma. Unfortunately for all the adults in this movie in Emma’s life.
Side Note
This movie dropped “Shit”, “Bullshit”, and “Bitch” with reckless abandon.
Patty McCormack was nominated for an Academy Award/Golden Globe for playing this role, back in 1956.
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Overall rating
🔪🔪🔪 (3 Knives)
🍷🍷🍷🍷 (4 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2018 Lifetime
This was a good review, Patrick! I also reviewed Lifetime’s remake of The Bad Seed on my blog and as someone who has seen the original film, I think that the creative team behind this movie did a really good job with creating this film! Because of the way this film ended, it does give Lifetime the opportunity to create a sequel if they wanted to. I can only speak for myself, but I think a sequel sounds like a good idea, especially since the original film wasn’t given the opportunity to continue the story because of its ending.
The 1985 TV version makes the same mistake, killing the parent and saving the child. The original is dark AF but all the better for it. “Give me my shoes back, Leroy!”