The Bad Seed

The Bad Seed

Adult mystery
In my formative years I saw more than my share of horror
movies. They were almost all that was shown during the children's
Saturday afternoon matinees at the local movie theater. At least as
far as I recall. Most were pretty forgettable like The Blob and
Werewolf In A Girls Dormitory. I only remember two vividly. One was
The Birds. For a long time after I viewed it my heart would speed up
whenever I saw a flock of pigeons or gulls. The Bad Seed, however,
scared me even more. I felt that its evil child star bore a strong
resemblence to Harriet, the sibling with whom I did not get along well.
I never thought that the movie stemmed from an actual book. One
day, playing on my smart phone, roaming Google in search of thriller
books to borrow from the library, I stumbled on The Bad Seed by
William March. Although it's over half a century old, it's as
suspenseful as many of today's genre mates. It's a dark look at the
nature vs nurture controversy endlessly debated by developmental
psychologists.
Christine knows that her eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda, is
different from other kids. She's a solemn, fastidious child, self
possessed to the point of seeming to not need anyone else. She's
adored by older ladies, but shunned by age mates. She's obsessed with
gaining possessions.
As the narrative begins Rhoda is quite angry. Her school had
their closing exercises. Rhoda had had her heart set on winning a
penmanship medal which instead had gone to a boy, Claude. No effort
on the part of Christine can mollify her.
The next day is the annual school picnic. Claude wears his
medal pinned to his jacket. That afternoon the radio news announces
that a child on that outing has drowned. You can guess who. There
are bruises on his hands and face. The spelling medal is missing.
Guess what's hidden in Rhoda's dresser drawer.
If you're a fan of well crafted, dark suspense novels, you'll
find The Bad Seed to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note, the highlight of my weekend was sledding on the
old school hill. We had the perfect combination of great snow and a
warm, sunny day. I went to zoom church. Third time in a row. I even
sat through the budget meeting after church. I ignored the Super Bowl
while Eugene watched it. I don't have the patience to watch any
sports. But I especially dislike football and hockey because of their
potential for brain damage. I wouldn't let my son play. Growing up
with Harriet I saw too well how brain damage can ruin a life. As I
write this Eugene is out plowing because it started snowing and he got
a middle of the night phone call (Jules).
I iz watching for dad to come home (Tobago).
A great big shout out goes out to blizzard battlers.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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