17 Movie Villains Who Completely Ruined Your Childhood

9. The Childcatcher - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The Childcatcher; aka the first man ever to vilify lollipops. Before Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, no child was under the impression they had to refuse sweets - we all suspected that those parental warnings about accepting candy from strangers would lead to some unspeakable, unknown evil were just lies from the same brains that brought us the Tooth Fairy and Square Eye Syndrome. But then this flamboyant hook-nosed devil came along, and put that once entirely socially-acceptable form of bribery to bed. On the command of the Baron Bomburst, who despises children despite ostensibly being one himself, his duties involve luring kiddies into a shed on wheels with the promise of lollies and other calorific delights. Once inside he then carts them off to a grotty prison. It€™s a clever conceit dreamt up by Roald Dahl who penned the screenplay, based on a fundamental fear of childhood - not only of people not being what they seem, but also that sugar, so delicious and happiness-making, could possibly be an evil. Sugary snacks may appear tempting, but accepting them may lead to a long stint in the pen, which is probably the best/strangest allegory for childhood obesity you ever unconsciously witnessed as a child.