Badmovies.org Forum

I think I saw this psycho-drama one once or twice in the 70's.  I'm leaning toward it being a made-for-tv.

A young man who lives with his mother gets into some kind of trouble.  I think he accidentally kills someone, or maybe not so accidentally.  Maybe it was a crime of passion kind of thing, I’m not sure.  He must have done something wrong other than it just being an accident because he runs home and doesn’t go to the police.

Anyway, his mother, in an attempt to protect her son, hides him in a secret room somewhere in the house.  This is where it gets hazy.  I think his mother dies, and for some reason the young man keeps hiding in the secret room in this house.  A new family moves into the house and he continues to hide in the secret room.  They go about their lives unaware that there is a young man, growing continually more demented, living in a secret room and observing them all the time, especially their pretty young daughter, whom he becomes increasingly obsessed with.  I think he’s also artistic and continually draws pictures on the wall of his secret room.  The obsession becomes dangerous eventually, but I’m not sure how the movie ends.

Now, somehow I think this one will be a challenge, but then someone on this forum identified “Psychomania” in, like, two minutes, so who knows? 

That's "Bad Ronald" a made for tv movie, and a very good one too! 

I just looked it up on wikipedia.  That's it!  I don't remember Dabney Coleman being in it, but I was a child when I saw it. 

That sounds like it's actually a good movie.  What a twisted idea.  I thought I was right about it being a made for tv.  I get this sinking feeling someone is going to remake that one some day.

Thanks!