Gawky misfit teen Ronald (a truly spooky and unnerving performance by Scott Jacoby; the gimpy magician in "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane") accidentally kills a bratty little girl. He's subsequently hidden in a secret room of an old Victorian house by his sickly, smothering mother (a wonderful portrayal by "Planet of the Apes" film series regular Kim Hunter) in order to avoid being arrested by the authorities. Mom dies and a new family -- father Dabney Coleman, mother Pippa Scott, and their three hottie daughters Cindy Fisher, Cindy Eibacher and Lisa Eibacher -- move into the swanky and enormous abode. Ronald loses his grip on reality and disappears into an elaborate fantasy world created by his own warped overactive imagination. One fateful day he comes out of his clandestine hideaway hole to terrorize the hapless adolescent lasses when the parents leave for the weekend.
One of the all-time classic 70's made-for-TV horror psycho thrillers, "Bad Ronald" 's extremely fantastic and far-fetched premise is made reasonably credible and totally compelling by journeyman TV show veteran Buzz Kulik's capable direction (along with his episodic TV show credits, Kulik also helmed the enjoyable Burt Reynolds private eye picture "Shamus" and the underrated Steve McQueen action vehicle "The Hunter"). Fred Karlin's effectively eerie score and a top-rate cast make this feature a cut above average TV movie fare. Popping up in especially nice bits are John Larch as a shrewd homicide detective and John Fiedler as a friendly real estate agent. Yeah, this film is fairly preposterous, but thankfully Jacoby's unforgettably creepy and disturbing character keeps the show gripping and harrowing right down to its thrilling climax. Jacoby's role as a murderously messed-up teenage nerd deserves a place right alongside "The Bad Seed" 's Patty McCormack and the Udvarnovsky brothers from "The Other" in the All-Time Scary Killer Kids Hall of Infamy.
One of the all-time classic 70's made-for-TV horror psycho thrillers, "Bad Ronald" 's extremely fantastic and far-fetched premise is made reasonably credible and totally compelling by journeyman TV show veteran Buzz Kulik's capable direction (along with his episodic TV show credits, Kulik also helmed the enjoyable Burt Reynolds private eye picture "Shamus" and the underrated Steve McQueen action vehicle "The Hunter"). Fred Karlin's effectively eerie score and a top-rate cast make this feature a cut above average TV movie fare. Popping up in especially nice bits are John Larch as a shrewd homicide detective and John Fiedler as a friendly real estate agent. Yeah, this film is fairly preposterous, but thankfully Jacoby's unforgettably creepy and disturbing character keeps the show gripping and harrowing right down to its thrilling climax. Jacoby's role as a murderously messed-up teenage nerd deserves a place right alongside "The Bad Seed" 's Patty McCormack and the Udvarnovsky brothers from "The Other" in the All-Time Scary Killer Kids Hall of Infamy.