Bad Ronald (1974)
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Duration: 74 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Buzz Kulik
Stars: Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott and John Larch
IMDb score:
6,6 (2.740)
Releasedate: 23 October 1974
Bad Ronald plot
"The Wood family doesn't know it. But the old house they've just bought is already occupied... by a psychopathic killer."
Ronald is an introverted, shy teenager who loses his mother during an operation. Her house is sold to a family. What they don't know is that Ronald still lives in the house. Meanwhile, Ronald becomes unhealthy obsessed with the family's youngest daughter...
Actors and actresses
Ronald Wilby
Mrs. Wood
Sgt. Lynch
Mr. Wood
Elaine Wilby
Mr. Roscoe
Mrs. Schumacher
Babs Wood
Althea Wood
Ellen Wood
Reviews & comments
Zinema (crew films)
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- 10276 messages
- 7316 votes
Ronald is good.
A decent TV movie from the 1970s, where the tameness combined with the slow pace is quite noticeable. No real horror moments, but a somewhat uneven attempt at a mix of thriller and drama. Towards the end, the lack of creepiness and original developments becomes irritating. Still, it's a decent watch, thanks to a light dose of suspense and a decent opening.
Two stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Bombong
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- 480 messages
- 2704 votes
Cult writer Jack Vance, best known for science fiction books, also wrote a number of thrillers, of which Bad Ronald is the best (at least, as far as I've read them, because you'd have to be practically a millionaire to get a complete run of Jack Vance thrillers).
This film adaptation unfortunately doesn't do the book justice. The harsh elements have been removed. In the book, Ronald Wilby is a self-absorbed rapist and murderer, and certainly not the sweet-natured nerd who accidentally kills someone like in the film. And yet, Vance succeeds in evoking a certain compassion for the protagonist in the reader. This is probably because you see the story through Ronald's eyes, with all his considerations about what he must do and not do to avoid being discovered, and his characterization of the three girls with whom things clearly don't end well in the book, and the smooth-talking boyfriend Duane. That's something that can't really be conveyed effectively in a film.
Nevertheless, the film adaptation is quite reasonable and the house in particular was well chosen.
Translated from Dutch · View original
clubsport
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- 3890 messages
- 6993 votes
I don't know the book, but as told here, Ronald is done a great injustice, the choice to make him the bad guy is a bad choice if you present the premise so wrongly.
As a drama and a bit of a thriller this film is okay, but the victim-to-perpetrator twist is far from satisfying.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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