Bad Ronald (1974)

Made for Television

Ronald is a nerdy loner who writes fantasy fiction.  One day, while coming home, he runs into a girl who he is classmates with.  After she makes fun of him and says bad things about his mother, he grabs her and forces her to say that she is sorry.  When she refuses, he throws her to the ground.  Her head accidentally hits a cinderblock and kills her.  Ronald does not know what to do, so he deices to bury the body and come home.

Ronald's mother, played by Kim Hunter, knows that her Ronald is a good boy and she will not see him go to jail for what he did.  She decides to wallpaper him in the bathroom so no one will ever find him.  Ronald makes a secret passageway in the kitchen cabinet so he can get out if he has to.  Ronald's mother tells him that she is going in for a long overdue surgery and that she will be back within a week.  Unfortunately, Ronald's mother dies in the hospital.  A new family then moves in.  The new family is trying to start a new life in this new house, but they do not know that Ronald is living in their walls.  Ronald soon becomes more and more crazy becoming obsessed with the fantasy fiction which he writes.  He believes himself to be a prince and a girl from the new family he imagines to be his princess.  Ronald decides to make contact with her and that only leads to more trouble.

"Bad Ronald" is a terrific movie.  It is original and it is eerie.  You really feel bad for Ronald because he never meant to kill anyone.  The entire time he was just listening to what his mother told him to do.  It is sad when his mother dies and he has no one left.

Kim Hunter is great in this movie.  She really acts like she cares for Ronald and she wants nothing bad to happen to him.  She really does love him, but her love for him is what made him crazy.  She told him never to leave his secret hiding place and he never did.  Ronald, played by Scott Jacoby, is a great character.  He is the perfect villain where you fear him, but you also care a great deal for him.

"Bad Ronald" is a film that most people do not know about, but if you get a chance to see it, you should.  It came out when TV specials were a big deal and from what I am told, this one was popular with all the kids.

B+  I recommend it.