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Never Take Candy From a Stranger

Play trailer Poster for Never Take Candy From a Stranger 1960 1h 21m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
The parents of two girls take a pervert to court, but he lands an acquittal due to his prestige.

Critics Reviews

View All (4) Critics Reviews
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Creepy. Nov 4, 2016 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A startling drama. Rated: 3.5/4 Aug 31, 2021 Full Review Sean Axmaker Seanax.com There's no sensationalism in the presentation and Cyril Frankel maintains a strong, serious attitude to the subject and to the drama. Apr 11, 2010 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A first-rate serious crime drama by, of all people, the sleazy Hammer studio. Rated: B May 6, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (13) audience reviews
j F A disturbing movie about an adult predator of little girls. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/25 Full Review brendan n Never Take Sweets from a Stranger is one Hammer film ahead of its time. Strong story that is backed by a strong unknown cast. The content is still topical today and showcases a largely ignored film that has been resurrected with a strong 1080 transfer by Indicator. Hammer may be well known for its horror schlock status but this drama/horror style reality story is incredible. The film was met with controversy at the time of release and fell into the abyss. Hammer is seeing a resurrection with Indicator and it's refreshing to find a film like Never Take Sweets from a Stranger. 18/03/2021 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Disturbing tale of a small Canadian town who willfully mitigates the actions of an elderly pedophile in its midst - all because of the man's family and its standing in the community. Straight ahead narrative that isn't played for shock - save maybe the tragic ending. Unlike any film of that era, with a deft touch of direction in terms of subject matter. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Very disturbing but true! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member A 1960s Hammer production that departed from their usual horror film for a more realistic type of horror, child sexual abuse. Instead of being about Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy or other various ghouls, this film follows the parents a girs who's fallen victim of a pedophile who also happens to be the small town's rich and powerful patriarch. The tone of the film is somewhat uneven, going between being an "message" picture in the first part of the film and being a suspense/horror story in the second half. Both elements are done effectively, but neither blends very well with the other. It's interesting that over 50 years later, this film this is a topic that rarely makes it onto film (outside of a being motivation for a revenge story) and still today has quite a creep factor to it. Even a recent film like "Hard Candy" still felt this same uniqueness of taking on a topic that few films do, though "Hard Candy" also had a pretty wicket twist to it. Cripstly photographed by regular Hammer cinematographer Freddie Francis this picture is overall a strong, if uneven, bit of film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A more than interesting smaller Hammer flick--Quite amazing and modern for 1960!! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Never Take Candy From a Stranger

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Movie Info

Synopsis The parents of two girls take a pervert to court, but he lands an acquittal due to his prestige.
Director
Cyril Frankel
Producer
Anthony Hinds
Screenwriter
John Hunter
Production Co
Hammer Film Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 6, 2010
Runtime
1h 21m