User Reviews

The title of this Alfred Hitchcock episode seems oddly named. I just viewed this episode this evening and didn't see any reference to a butterfly. The story involves a married couple (Bradford Dillman and Diana Hyland) who move into a new home after the husband gets a new job. The main plot involves a neighbor who has a young son who appears to harbor sadistic tendencies. The son spies on his neighbors and starts to torment them by first killing the neighbor's dog and then attempting to use a power drill on the neighbor's wife (after injuring her). The husband finally confronts his neighbor's father after his wife is injured and nearly killed by the boy. The boy's father (played by Edward Asner) also appears to be a somewhat ruthless stern parent to the boy. The boy apparently is copying the ruthless behavior of his father. After the boy attempts to torch his father's car, Bradford realizes how the boy got to be the way he is and believes that he does need therapy to help to change his behavior. Initially, Bradford had thought that the boy was born evil and beyond help. This episode reminded me of the movie "The Bad Seed" involving a sadistic and homicidal young girl.

The operative word for this episode appears to be 'disturbed', almost every reviewer here on IMDb uses it to describe the behavior of the young kid Eddie (Mickey Sholdar), who lives with his parents next door to the new arrivals in the neighborhood, the Nelsons (Bradford Dillman, Diana Hyland). They're no Ozzie and Harriet however, Bill Nelson has insecurities about his job and ability to deal with confrontational situations, while wife Janet is a bit inconsistent in her dealings with her husband. Right out of the gate you know that Eddie is going to be trouble for the Nelsons, exacerbated by his father's (Ed Asner) unshakeable defense of the boy over some truly egregious offenses. Like killing the Nelson's dog! Without convincing proof though, even the police can't help work things out. You can imagine how shocked TV viewers must have been back in the day to see Eddie string a wire across a basement step and lure Mrs. Nelson downstairs with the sound of a whirring drill. At that point you realize the kid really was the 'little monster' the Nelsons had to contend with. You begin to understand how the kid became that way when Jack Stander (Asner) breaks down and admits how he forced Eddie's hand into a pot of boiling water to cure him of lying when he was four years old! By the end of the story, you get the idea that Eddie wasn't the only one in the family that needed counseling. The resolution to the episode was just a little too pat, not so much a 'happy ever after' feeling, but one that leaves you uncomfortable about what would happen next with the disturbed child, even as authorities arrived on the scene to diffuse a situation where Eddie set the house on fire!

The recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, a small northern Fairfield County town I grew up 10 minutes away from and still live reasonably close to, makes this 1963 episode about a deranged teen even scarier today. A young couple moves into a new house, only to find a young Jeffrey Dahmer type living next door. He starts out by stealing from them and then moves on to bigger things. Bradford Dillman and Diana Hyland are the young couple, and Ed Asner is the teen's abusive and loudmouth dad. A very good episode obviously inspired by "The Bad Seed." Not always as realistic as it might have been, which is understandable considering its target audience of the period, it still packs a hell of a punch. Highly recommended.

A young couple (Bradford Dillman, Diana Hyland) move into a big beautiful house in the suburbs. Next door to them is a family with one boy named Eddie (Mickey Sholdar). Turns out Eddie is a seriously disturbed kid who proceeds to terrorize Dillman and Hyland.

I'm really surprised this was made and released to TV in 1963. It's not graphic but the subject matter was pretty strong stuff for its era and at one point an adorable dog is murdered (not shown but you see Dillman's horrified reaction). The psychology behind the boys actions are never fully explored but there's only so much you can do in an hour long TV show. The acting is great especially by Sholdar. Also it's interesting to see a young Ed Asner as Eddie's father. The only debit here is the ending which was way too pat and didn't really resolve anything. Still it's well worth seeing.

***SPOILERS*** Newlyweds Bill & Janet Nelson, Bradford Dillman & Diana Hyland, didn't know what they were in for when they moved into this typical suburban town to start their married and blissful new lives. It's the next door neighbor the stocky and ape like Jack Stander's, Edward Asner, 13 year old boy Edward or better known as "Crazy Eddie", Mickey Sholder, to his neighbors who was to become the couples biggest suburban nightmare. It was Popa Jack who after his son Eddie lied to him about sticking his hand into the cookie jar where he was four years old had beat the living hell out of him to the point where he had to get emergency medical treatment that he felt he knocked some sense into his head. Never wanting to be worked over like that again Eddie's never lied to his pop but saved his uncontrollable hatred and resentment to those, like the Nealson's, who showed kindness and compassion towards him.

Bill Neson sensed that Eddie had a problem after he broke into his car and later killed the family dog Charlie and tried to help him get over it by getting psychiatric help. It was Papa Stander who was steadfast against Eddie getting any help since he felt that he straitened him out years ago, with a near fatal beating, and thus didn't need it. Knowing that Bill and his wife Diana were both pushovers Eddie directed his aggressions towards them with frightening and near fatal results!

***SPOILERS*** Popa Stander finally realized that his, in his confused head, obedient boy was really a soon to become, after getting his skills in killing helpless dogs & cats, a future Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gasey like serial murder in the making. That's when "Crazy Eddie" completely lost it and, when confronted by Bill in his attempted murder of his wife Diana, tried to burn the Stander family house down together with Popa Jack's prized sports car! It's then when the by now scared and confused, in finally realizing just how sick he is, Eddie gave himself up to the police and consented, together with Popa Jack, for treatment to not only get his head together but be able to live in peace with himself and those around him.