REVIEW: ‘The Bad Seed’ remake adds to the long list of bad remakes

Contributed by Kate Gaddis, UHCL alumna

The movie “The Bad Seed” came out in 1956 and starred Patty McCormack as a girl named Rhonda, who is a relentless murderer, after she doesn’t get what she wants in school. The film made McCormack a household name.

The film tackled issues such as mental illness. In the 1956 film, Rhonda seems to commit murder if she doesn’t get her way or like the person. It is almost impossible to watch this film without getting angry at the main character.

Recently, a 2018 remake of the film was released with Rob Lowe as the director. The lead role of Emma, who mirrors the original film’s Rhonda, was taken on by actress McKenna Grace. I do applaud Mckenna’s performance, as she played the character of Emma to a T.

The original film, like many cult classics, is hard to remake and be successful. When rebooting a film, while good intentions may be involved, it can end up being a disturbingly poor attempt. McCormack, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Rhonda, appears in the remake as Emma’s psychiatrist.

The original film had a horror factor to it, but the remake lacked that same feel. Debuting on Lifetime, the remake is essentially a made for TV movie and might have benefitted more from being premiered on Netflix or Hulu.

In the end, the 2018 remake of “The Bad Seed” was unable to live up to the original film’s legacy within the horror movie genre.