This film received the critical battering that another controversial film of 1960 also suffered. The differences between the two are manifold, the main one being that whereas PT was a work of genius, working on many levels, which were universally misunderstood, Never Take Sweets From a Stranger is utterly dull, mundane, predictable, and pointless, other than saying 'there's such a thing as pedophiles'.
The old man, who's a bit loony and has been put in an asylum for a stretch is back. He's a bit loony but not at all interestingly so. There's no character. The film is made by people with nowhere near the subtlety or intelligence of the makers of Peeping Tom. In Never Take Sweets, the old man has no background, is not at all fleshed out, and in no way shown to have been made as he is as we are all made as we are. The masterful Peeping Tom has its protagonist as a tender victim on a path he couldn't deviate from and shows why, brilliantly. Never Take Sweets has a cut-out for a character, to initiate boring, predictable plot 'twists' carried out by unsympathetic actors. This is only good for people who see Hammer doing non-horror but 'message', as interesting. The film deserves the critical put-down for being so dull.
The old man, who's a bit loony and has been put in an asylum for a stretch is back. He's a bit loony but not at all interestingly so. There's no character. The film is made by people with nowhere near the subtlety or intelligence of the makers of Peeping Tom. In Never Take Sweets, the old man has no background, is not at all fleshed out, and in no way shown to have been made as he is as we are all made as we are. The masterful Peeping Tom has its protagonist as a tender victim on a path he couldn't deviate from and shows why, brilliantly. Never Take Sweets has a cut-out for a character, to initiate boring, predictable plot 'twists' carried out by unsympathetic actors. This is only good for people who see Hammer doing non-horror but 'message', as interesting. The film deserves the critical put-down for being so dull.