Bad Ronald

Director: Buzz Kulik Buzz Kulik

Overview

"Bad" Ronald (Scott Jacoby) has been in hiding in a secret room ever since going off the deep end and killing a teenaged girl who'd made fun of him. Ronald's mother (Kim Hunter) helps her son to remain hidden, even when the house in which he is sequestered is rented by a family. As luck would have it, three of the family members are nubile young girls--perfect targets for the lonely, and looney, Ronald. In the original John Holbrook Vance novel on which this TV-movie is based, Ronald abducts, repeatedly rapes and ultimately kills two women. The video version of Bad Ronald is heavily laundered, but no less terrifying.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2009
UPC:	0883316195048
Original Release:	1974
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:14:00
Sales rank:	27,088

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Scott Jacoby	Ronald Wilby
Kim Hunter	Elaine Wilby
Pippa Scott	Mrs. Wood
Cindy Fisher	Babs Wood
Dabney Coleman	Mr. Wood
Lisa Eilbacher	Ellen Wood,Althea Wood
John Larch	Sgt. Lynch
John Fiedler	Mr. Roscoe
Linda Watkins	Mrs. Schumacher
Ted Eccles	Duane Mathews
Aneta Corsaut	Mrs. Mathews
Linda Purl	Laurie Mathews
Angela Hoffman	Carol Mathews
Lesley Woods	Aunt Margaret
Roger Aaron Brown	Sgt. Carter
Karen Purcil	Wanda

Technical Credits

Philip Capice	Producer
Buzz Kulik	Director
Lee Rich	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

This amusing made-for-TV thriller, based on John Holbrook Vance's novel, tells the story of a high-school outcast (Scott Jacoby) who accidentally murders a young girl for teasing him. Jacoby's over-protective mother (Kim Hunter) is concerned about his future, so she decides to hide him from the police by constructing a secret walled-up room in the house. Jacoby's hiding-place goes undetected and everyone thinks he ran away, but trouble brews when Hunter dies during gall-bladder surgery and the house is purchased by a family with three young daughters. Jacoby hides and spies on the family for weeks, fancying pretty Cindy Fisher to be the Princess of Atranta, a mythical kingdom which he invented with elaborate paintings in his room. When the parents go on vacation, Jacoby makes his move, and it's up to a crusty cop and the brother of his first victim to stop him. This is a brief (74 minutes) but absorbing film highlighted by Jacoby and Hunter's early scenes together and tight direction by Buzz Kulik. If there is one flaw here, it's a rather abrupt ending, but this minor chiller is otherwise surprisingly good.

All Movie Guide - Robert Firsching