The TV movie, especially in the realm of horror, is usually derided. saying a horror film gave off the feeling of a "TV movie" is almost always meant as a knock on its quality, or to denote how uninteresting the flick is.
Within televisions strict frameworks however, lie some real gems. case in point: 1974's Bad Ronald.
Bad Ronald Tells the Tale of Ronald Wilby (Scott Jacoby, who reminds me of a proto Billy Jane of bloody birthday and Parker Lewis fame) a troubled teen writing a fantasy novel. his mother buys him some paint supplies so that he can draw some pictures to accompany the novel, which involved a prince and princess. Ronald's an awkward kid, and because this is the 70's he doesn't have any like minded individuals to share his obsessions with. he must contend with his mother, who is convinced that her son is a genius, who will one day make a great doctor. she refuses to get medical attention until Ronald becomes a doctor, so he can perform the operation she needs.
Things take a bad turn when Ronald's temper gets the better of him and he pushes a younger girl over in a yard. she hits her head on a concrete block and its goodnight nurse for her. Rather than go to the authorities Ronald opts to bury her. when his overbearing mother hears this, she reacts in the best way she knows how-lock Ronald in a secret room behind a wall and tell the police he ran away. the mother soon dies, leaving Ronald alone in the house with a new family, his sanity at this point slips, as he works on his fantasy novel and accompanying drawings, he loses touch more and more with reality, thinking himself to be the prince of his tale, and making eyes at the new tenants daughter for his princess....
Bad Ronald is shot with an understated yet cinematic quality, even though destined for the small screen, it proved small scale stories like this could still be photographed artfully. The drawings shown throughout are a cheap but effective mood enhancer and inspired art direction. based on a novel by Jack Vance, known for his science fiction and fantasy novels such as the demon princes series. at a brisk 70 minutes there is never a dull moment to be had, a perfect rainy Sunday night flick. Available as a MOD disc from Warner Archive
-Lou Toad
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