Review of Bad Ronald (1974) by Tim S — 12 Jan 2014
Bad Ronald is a sanitized made-for-TV movie from 1974 about a young guy who must hide in the walls from the police, at the insistence of his mother, when he accidentally kills a young girl. After his mother's death, he stays in the walls and terrorizes the people who move in.
The film was based on a novel that was quite graphic, so the TV version of it was watered down. That being said, there's some really weird stuff in there. Unfortunately, there's way too much sympathy for Ronald's character for him to be an effective threat later in the movie.
He eventually goes insane and becomes obsessed with his made up world of princes and princesses, but ultimately, you still feel sorry for him. The main problem, or should I say problems, with the movie, is the number of plot holes and logical questions that you're constantly asking yourself throughout it.
The main one is 'why doesn't Ronald just leave the house when he learns that his mother has died?' Regardless, it still has some atmosphere to it, but it's not really that effective.
This review of Bad Ronald (1974) was written by Tim S on 12 Jan 2014.
Bad Ronald has generally received mixed reviews.
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