7. Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (1960)
The Carter family have just emigrated from Britain to a small Canadian town. Peter - the father - has taken up a post of School Principal. One night, his little girl Jean appears to be disturbed and she tells her father and her mother Sally that earlier that day, along with her friend Lucille, they had been taken into a man's house and he gave them sweets if they would dance around naked for him. Jean's parents are horrified and want to lodge a complaint against this pervert. Unfortunately, he happens to be Clarence Olderberry Snr - the patriarch of the wealthiest and most respected family in town. The Carters experience alienation from the townfolk as they close ranks and the police tell them that Jean's testimony won't hold up to scrutiny. When the trial begins, the jury is comprised of hostile townfolk. Jean is bullied mercilessly on the stand and Olderberry is naturally acquitted. The Carters realise they can't stay in the town and just before they leave, Jean takes her bike to the woods and comes across Lucille. Who should they find, but Olderberry Snr offering them sweets. They try to get away but he captures them both. A search begins for both the girls and Olderberry Snr with Olderberry Jnr and Peter helping out. The sniffer dog brings them to a cabin where Lucille's body lies dead on the floor and Olderberry Snr looks dishevelled and disoriented. Olderberry Jnr takes one look at his father and realises he is a murderous paedophile. The town's residents gather outside the Carter's house. Peter comes back with Jean who managed to evade Olderberry's clutch. Olderberry Jnr breaks down in front of the crowd and confesses his father's sins. A failure at the box office when it was released in 1960, Never Take Sweets From a Stranger was just far too ahead of its time for 60s audiences to deal with. Paedophilia and child abuse were not widely discussed topics back then and there was considerable distaste for the movie. Over the decades, as child abuse was more commonly discussed, Never Take Sweets From a Stranger underwent a critical renaissance and by the 1990s, critics were evaluating it with fresh eyes. A lot of people actually think that it is a better film than many famous Hammer horrors. It was groundbreaking and innovative and tackled its subject tastefully - without sensationalism. Consequently, Never Take Sweets From a Stranger is a much sought DVD among both Hammer fans and cult movie fans.