Bad Ronald (1974) is the kind of made-for-TV film that makes you wonder what possessed anyone to think it was a good idea. Directed by Buzz Kulik, this supposed horror-thriller is more of a cringe-worthy exercise in mediocrity than anything remotely resembling a thrill. Based on the novel by Jack Vance, the film’s primary problem is that it somehow manages to be both painfully predictable and excruciatingly slow. Watching it feels like waiting for a train that never arrives, with the whole experience leaving you wondering why you even bothered.
The plot, for what it’s worth, revolves around Ronald Wilby (Scott Jacoby), a socially inept high schooler with a fondness for fantasy and an unfortunate tendency to accidentally kill people. After a truly tragic and rather ridiculous series of events (he accidentally kills a girl while pushing her over and then buries her body), Ronald’s mother, Elaine (Kim Hunter), takes the unusual step of turning their home into a strange hiding place for him—a basement cell, complete with a concealed trapdoor. This is all in the name of avoiding suspicion when the police come asking questions. Then, after Elaine dies unexpectedly, we’re left with a film where Ronald’s reality begins to crumble, and he spirals into delusion, seeing himself as a prince and others as obstacles to his imagined kingdom.
And that’s when the film really starts to get lost in the weeds. We are supposed to care about Ronald’s tragic descent into madness, but instead, we’re left with a bizarrely passive protagonist who makes every choice that screams “I’m going to screw everything up.” This is not the kind of socially awkward teenager you want to root for. Instead of feeling any empathy for Ronald, you’ll find yourself scratching your head, wondering why he hasn’t been caught sooner. Is this supposed to be a horror film? Or is it just a collection of bad decisions strung together like a chain of increasingly awkward dinner parties?
What really hampers the film is how tedious and unconvincing everything feels. Scott Jacoby, as Ronald, is painfully wooden in his performance. Instead of portraying the shy, socially awkward teenager with any semblance of nuance, he simply stares blankly at the camera, delivering lines with all the conviction of a wet paper towel. You never quite understand why he makes the decisions he does—whether he’s hiding in a secret room, committing murder, or stalking his imagined princess. Nothing about him feels real, and that’s a huge problem when the entire plot revolves around his unraveling mind.
Kim Hunter, who plays Ronald’s mother, Elaine, comes across as overly earnest in a role that demands more complexity than her one-note performance can offer. The movie tries to present Elaine as the loving but misguided mother who enables her son’s delusions, but instead, we get a caricature of a mother who is so overbearing it’s almost laughable. When she dies unexpectedly (because of course, she does), it’s treated as a pivotal emotional moment, but it’s hard to feel anything for a character who has been so flat and one-dimensional.
The rest of the cast doesn’t fare much better. Pippa Scott, as Mrs. Wood, and Dabney Coleman, as Mr. Wood, are both stiff and unconvincing, playing parts that are so stereotypical it’s almost insulting. Their daughter, Babs (Cindy Fisher), becomes a target for Ronald’s delusions, and instead of being a sympathetic figure, she’s just there to move the plot along, like a pawn in a bad game of chess. The film’s attempts at horror—strange noises in the house, missing food, and Ronald’s erratic behavior—fall flat, mostly because they’re wrapped up in so much awkward exposition that the tension never has a chance to build.
The “thriller” aspect is laughable. The scares are as manufactured as a cheap haunted house, and the tension never rises above the level of a mildly uncomfortable family gathering. When Ronald finally gets caught—after a drawn-out, entirely predictable sequence—it’s hard to feel any real satisfaction. By then, you’ve already checked out. There’s no catharsis here, just the slow realization that the film has wasted your time.
In fact, it’s difficult to tell who the intended audience for this film was. If you’re looking for horror, you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re expecting a psychological thriller, you’ll find yourself yawning. And if you’re hoping for a poignant look at a troubled teenager’s descent into madness, well, you’ve come to the wrong place. The movie takes itself far too seriously for something so blatantly ridiculous. Ronald’s journey from awkward loner to deranged murderer should be gripping, but it’s just a series of unfortunate events strung together by poor writing and a cast that seems as confused as the audience.
In conclusion, Bad Ronald isn’t just bad—it’s frustratingly bad. It’s a film that feels like it was made for TV because it has all the trappings of a cheap, forgettable made-for-TV thriller: wooden acting, slow pacing, a nonsensical plot, and a complete lack of thrills. It’s a movie that can’t quite decide what it wants to be, and as a result, it ends up being nothing at all. If you’re looking for a horror film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is not it. Instead, if you’re looking for something that will leave you with nothing but a sense of wasted time and confusion, then by all means, give Bad Ronald a try. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
