It should be called....

Sorry, but you sound like one of the snobs at the pool party. What was strange about Ronald? If nothing else, he was a misunderstood genius! I'd say "Valiant Ronald" or just "Ronald" would be a better title. He loved his mother, he had a real artistic talent, and he was a victim of circumstance. I don't see anything strange or weird about him.

Ronald was socially awkward. But "Socially Awkward Ronald" does not sound like a catchy title for a movie.

I actually think that "Bad Ronald" is a fitting title for the film. I haven't read the book, so I'm only judging this on the way he is portrayed in the movie.

At first, he does start off as a seemingly nice boy who is just a little socially awkward and misunderstood. However, when he recklessly kills that little girl, and then makes the conscious decision to bury her body, we can clearly see that Ronald is a very disturbed young man who is beginning to let a suppressed dark side of himself come through. Even though he doesn't intentionally murder anyone in the movie, he is still voyeuristic and becomes possessive of Babs by wanting her to be his "Princess of Atranta" and by locking her in the basement. And let's not forget how he intentionally beats Duane on the head and then holds him hostage in his secret room.

Ronald was "bad." He was a very disturbed young boy whose violent and self-serving tendencies (and fantasies) became more pronounced as the film went on.


Welcome to Fright Night....for real.

Sad Ronald. I saw this movie as a child in the 70s and I remember feeling so bad for him.I got a dvd copy for Christmas this year.Watching it through mature adult eyes I felt the same pathos as I did before. Poor kid, he really made a lot of dumb decisions. Eventually lost his mind.His poor decisions became dangerous ones as soon he descended into complete madness.Tragic.I understand in the book he truly is bad.The movie version remains for me after all these years such a sad movie with a good dose of creepy for good measure.