Episode 131: The Bad Seed (1956)

Have you considered that the kid has bad vibes?? This week, we're putting on our intellectual hats and talking parenting, the theory of nature vs nurture, and 1950s anxieties in The Bad Seed (1956) dir. Mervyn LeRoy and starring Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, and Evelyn Varden. Based on the 1954 novel, The Bad Seed follows 8 year old Rhoda who is suspected of murder after a classmate goes missing at a school picnic. Our recommendations: Luce (2019), Spellbound (1945), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

We continue our celebration of Black women directors with Kasi Lemmons' feature debut, Eve's Bayou (1997), a story that examines truth and memory against the backdrop of an all Black bayou town in the early 1960s. In this episode, we talk through Kasi's inspirations for the story and intergenerational trauma and other hallmarks of the Southern Gothic genre. Our recommendations: Cuties (2020) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

Happy Black History Month and happy anniversary to us! 🖤🖤🖤 This month we're giving a spotlight to Black female directors, starting with Rungano Nyoni's On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (2025), a film that explores family secrets and complicit silence against the backdrop of a funeral. In this episode, we talk grief as a performance, women who protect bad men, and the shared experiences of family gatherings across the diaspora. Rungano Nyoni: “Trauma is minding your business and then there’s a body lying next to you” | A Rabbit's Foot: https://a-rabbitsfoot.com/editorial/confessions/rungano-nyoni-interview/ More Than Rage: Rungano Nyoni and Susan Chardy on “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” | Roger Ebert: https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/rungano-nyoni-susan-chardy-on-becoming-a-guinea-fowl-interview Our recommendations: Monsoon Wedding (2001) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

Two things make up the meaning of Christmas: career advancement and extramarital affairs! For our last episode of 2025, we watched The Apartment (1960), directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Lemmon plays C.C. "Bud" Baxter, a middleman at an insurance company who allows his superiors to use his apartment to conduct extramarital affairs while falling in love with Fran (MacLaine), a woman with her own secret affair. The Apartment was nominated for 10 Oscars (winning 5) and has been added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry. In this episode: cheating etiquette and cheap executives; using a broom to quiet your neighbors; the end of the Hays Code; sexuality in the late 1950s; Shirley MacLaine: Metaphysical Expert; do romantic comedies need a Big Kiss? (yes). Our recommendations: Cactus Flower (1969), It Happened One Night (1934) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

Welcome to another cock-a-doodie episode of Black Girl Film Club! As the weather gets colder, we take on stan culture, fandom and unhinged devotion in Misery (1990), directed by Rob Reiner and starring James Caan and Kathy Bates. In this episode: Stephen King's experiences with fan backlash and substance abuse, King's vast influence on the horror genre, Kathy Bates' star making turn as Annie, the evil nurse trope, and our own personal experiences with fandom. Our recommendations: Selena (1997), Der Fan (1982), Ingrid Goes West (2017), Play Misty for Me (1971), The Fanatic (2019) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

Welcome to primetime, bitch! We're joined by longtime friend of the show, Davalyn, to discuss A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors! Directed by Chuck Russell and starring Patricia Arquette, Heather Langenkamp, Craig Wasson, and Robert Englund, NOES3 sees a group of kids team up to fight the dream demon and a rescue a friend. #1 horror experts Dee and Britney give a breakdown of the franchise from its beginnings to the remake and we discuss horror master Wes Craven, the treatment of Black characters in the franchise, and what's so appealing about the world of Freddy Kreuger. Our recommendations: Freddy's Nightmares (1988-1990), Drop (2025), Happy Death Day (2017) and Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Follow Davalyn on IG @/davalynbaker Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

We welcomed Maya Williams (ey/they/she) back to the show to discuss their new chapbook of poetry, Feminine Morbidity, along with Sofia Coppola's 1999 feature debut, The Virgin Suicides. Based on Jefferey Eugenides' 1991 novel, this film follows the Lisbon sisters and their parents who are reeling after the youngest sister, Cecelia, takes her own life. In this episode: mental health portrayals in Hollywood; protecting teen actors; the fetishization of sadness; bad parents and even worse wigs; the Mystical Lands of Suburbia; giving girls agency in life and in death. Our recommendations: Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li, Mustang (2015), Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Picnic at Hanging Rock TV Series (2018) Feminine Morbidity is the Headline Review 2025 Poetry Chapbook Prize. You can pre-order Maya's new collection here: https://www.theheadlightreview.com/store/p/chapbook-feminine-morbidity-by-maya-williams Follow Maya on IG @/emmdubb16 Follow Maya on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/emmdubb16.bsky.social Visit their website: https://www.mayawilliamspoet.com/ Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

Light as a feather, stiff as a board 🪶 On this episode of Black Girl Film Club, we invited Lauren from Fashion Grunge to have a long overdue conversation about The Craft (1997), directed by Andrew Fleming and starring Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. Witches and spells and boys, oh my! In this episode: fashion as storytelling being the Only Black Girl; Rochelle did nothing wrong; girls just wanna have power; that godawful sequel. For reference: Analyzing the Outfits in The Craft Modern Gurlz https://youtu.be/jP3y7-Uq-Po?si=kAcrRGmG9PU__syI Follow Lauren at Fashion Grunge! : https://linktr.ee/fashiongrunge?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=47c8a2a7-59f9-49d3-8b42-4aeb7d650477 Our recommendations: The Witch (2015), Heathers (1988), Cherry Falls (1999), Embrace of the Vampire (2013), Suspira (2018) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

Surprise! We're back with a brand new Rough Cut, this time on Highest 2 Lowest (2025), Spike Lee and Denzel Washington's 5th collaboration and their first in 19 years. Highest 2 Lowest is a remake of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa film High and Low — both movies follow a rich businessman who deliberates paying the ransom when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped. Highest 2 Lowest also stars A$ap Rocky, Jeffery Wright, and Ilfenesh Hadera. Spoilers everywhere, listen at your own risk! Our recommendations: Jungle Fever (1991), Malcom X (1992), Bamboozled (2000), High and Low (1963) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub

We're not Josie Grossie anymore!! High school is still hell in Never Been Kissed (1999) directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, LeeLee Sobieski, and Molly Shannon. In this episode: a look at the real story that inspired the movie and the ethics of adults secretly mixing in with teens; what high school was like in the ancient days of the early 2000s; recovering from being a loser; Britney's encyclopedic knowledge of random white actors. The Times article on Shann Jones's: https://www.thetimes.com/world/article/never-been-kissed-true-story-s3nbw29t5 Our recommendations: 21 Jump Street (2012), 22 Jump Street (2014), Carrie (1976) Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub