Never Take Candy from A Stranger

Original title: Never Take Sweets from a Stranger

1960
Approved
1h 21m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

2.1K

YOUR RATING

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1 Video

31 Photos

Drama Horror Mystery Thriller

In Canada, a British schoolmaster meets official resistance when he learns that his 9-year-old daughter has been the victim of the pedophile patriarch of the town's most powerful family.In Canada, a British schoolmaster meets official resistance when he learns that his 9-year-old daughter has been the victim of the pedophile patriarch of the town's most powerful family.In Canada, a British schoolmaster meets official resistance when he learns that his 9-year-old daughter has been the victim of the pedophile patriarch of the town's most powerful family.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

2.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
On its original release, the film made little impact at the box-office and its press was mainly negative. This was partly because at the time the issue of paedophilia and child sexual abuse was a great taboo, rarely referred to or spoken about, and merely to produce a film dealing openly with the issue was deemed sordid and distasteful.

Goofs
When Martha returns home after her aborted attempt to go to the hairdresser and she sits down, a shadow of the boom microphone is briefly visible on the stone wall behind Sally.

Quotes
Martha: This isn't an ordinary crime like burglary or a holdup.

Crazy credits
Before the opening credits: "This story - like its characters - is fictitious. It is set in Canada. But it could happen anywhere - And it could be true."

Connections
Referenced in Danger Man: The Lovers (1960)

User reviews45

Review

Featured review

8/10

Really Surprisingly Good

This flick was screened in 16mm at the Gene Siskel Film Center in 2016 as part of a "British noir" series; associate director of programming Martin Rubin wrote in the center's monthly gazette that this was an "undiscovered gem" that "combines taut suspense with a sensitive treatment of a delicate subject." I agree with that assessment.

This film also won me over by getting to the juicy bits, fast; the pacing is nice and quick, so that the pervy Mr. Oldberry does his sick deed (off screen, of course), and the Carter family is left to grapple with the consequences. The Canadian-set film is written superbly for a 1960 "issues" film with a schlocky title; it seamlessly morphs from domestic drama to legal procedural to suspenseful thriller in the final act.

A movie like this could have easily gone the way of unintended farce, but its well-rounded characters and willingness to look at all sides of the issue mostly keep it floating above the realm of silliness.

The audience at the showing I was in gave a couple chuckles in the beginning, when the film opened with a title card warning us that this story could potentially take place in any town, at any time; those sniggers subsided when the film proved its nuance during the rest of its 80-minute runtime. A great, underseen gem.