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Bad Ronald

Bad Ronald

TV Movie · Drama · Thriller · 1974

When awkward teen Ronald Wilby accidentally kills a young girl whose sister rejected his affections, his overbearing mother decides to hide him from the law by creating a concealed room in their home for him to live.

Movie details

Bad Ronald

“The Wood family doesn't know it. But the old house they've just bought is already occupied... by a psychopathic killer.”

1974 TV Movie · Drama · Thriller 1h 14m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

When awkward teen Ronald Wilby accidentally kills a young girl whose sister rejected his affections, his overbearing mother decides to hide him from the law by creating a concealed room in their home for him to live.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Bad Ronald?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Buzz Kulik

Written by

Andrew Peter Marin

Scott Jacoby

Scott Jacoby

Ronald Wilby

Pippa Scott

Pippa Scott

Mrs. Wood

John Larch

John Larch

Sgt. Lynch

Dabney Coleman

Dabney Coleman

Mr. Wood

Kim Hunter

Kim Hunter

Elaine Wilby

John Fiedler

John Fiedler

Mr. Roscoe

Linda Watkins

Linda Watkins

Mrs. Schumacher

Court is in session

Put Bad Ronald on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.