Never Take Candy from a Stranger

The monster of this Hammer film is nothing more than a mute, elderly man with a fancy for little girls, making it quite the oddity in their oeuvre and uniquely compelling as the studio would never make another picture of its ilk. The taboo social issue is handled with refreshing candour, Freddie Francis’ camerawork is superb and Sir Felix Aylmer’s confused, pained expressions make him all the more frightening a villain.

Another lesser known gem from Hammer - included in Indicator blu-ray box set. It's a tight 80min thriller which tackles a very daring subject for 1960 and does it in a tasteful manner; less is more here. The character reactions are believable and the film covers the issue in a small-town context. Frankel's direction is almost in documentary style and doesn't resort to usual tropes. Freddie Francis' cinematography is beautiful and especially the scene by the lake was very memorable.

Estreava há 60 anos em Londres. Acho que esse foi o primeiro filme comercial a tratar abertamente de abuso sexual infantil - pedofilia. Mérito da Hammer. Justamente por ser um tema tabu, foi fracasso de bilheteria e publicamente execrado. Mas é um filme excelente, porque trata do assunto de forma exemplar, além de mostrar pessoas culpando a vítima, mostra também o tipo de salvo conduto que dão ao abusador poderoso, além do fato de ser construído mesmo como filme de horror. BRip RARBG

Top badass moment? Peter Carter is Mr Perfect. He literally does everything right. When I grow up I want to be him. Meanwhile, worried wives get given sedatives by worried doctors, people fall over whilst running away, men wear trousers that come up to their chest and Buckinghamshire pretends to be Canada. Well it’s an old film. It certainly makes the point that eating sweets is bad for you. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.

This was a simplistic story that was none the less engrossing and filled with tension.

A very unusual film in the Hammer oeuvre. Treats a challenging topic with a frankness that is surprising for a film of this period, as well as touching on other issues like small-town politics and flaws in the legal system. Occasionally comes across as moralistic and a little corny, but definitely an interesting film with a fantastic final 20 minutes.

A pretty campy concoction. Particularly hilarious was the cross-examination sequence. Did feature a strong ending though, with the deranged anguish of the old guy and the shocked disbelief of his son.