Never Take Candy from a Stranger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Never Take Candy from a Stranger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 22, 2020

Stop Me Before I Kill is currently only available in the twenty film Hammer Ultimate Collection. The film is also available as part of a double feature with Scream of Fear.

This fictitious film takes place in Canada, but the film warns that its story could play out anywhere, at any time, to anyone. The film opens with an elderly man, Mr. Olderberry (Bill Nagy), nervously spying on a couple of girls playing on a swing, including Jean Carter (Janina Faye), daughter of Peter (Patrick Allen) and Sally (Gwen Watford). One evening, Jean shares a disturbing story that Mr. Olderberry offered her, and her friend, candy in exchange for stripping out of their clothes, which they gladly did; it’s right to pay heed to an adult, after all. Or so they beleive. Her parents are shocked, but Jean seems undisturbed by the incident. Peter and Sally argue back and forth about how to handle the situation, but when Jean wakes up screaming, terrified that the man is in her room, they take the charges to the local authorities. However, they run into resistance throughout town. The Olderberry family ties run deep in the town, which buys the man a lot of leeway with the law, even as everyone is familiar with his perversions and persuasions.

It's difficult to say whether the accusations or the lack of cooperation from the townspeople and the law are the more disturbing matter at the heart of Never Take Candy from a Stranger. Obviously it's the crime itself that is most damaging, and while the film speaks against it, it also tells a story of a town that's not in the mood for a fight, that would rather look away than confront something so terrible and so directly. The Carters are new in town, and Olderberry's perversions are a poorly kept secret. The Carters don't know that, and neither do they care. They rightly seek answers and justice but find resistance at every turn. The film's double-fisted gut punch -- the deplorable actions taken against young Jean and the quickly erecting brick walls the family run into at every turn -- make this a difficult movie to take in stride. It's emotionally dark and draining but it's also well acted and tightly scripted, particularly as the film transitions from the exploratory first act and into the court room dramatics later in the film.

Never Take Candy from a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The picture quality is excellent and one of the best in the Hammer Ultimate Collection bundle. The picture retains a very fine and flattering grain structure. It's evenly distributed and a pleasure to behold in every scene. Textures are sharp and precise throughout, with faces a chief beneficiary revealing freckles and wrinkles and other imperfections with impressive yield. Location details are a strength, too, including homes and courtroom settings. The black and white presentation offers excellent contrast and tonal yield. The grayscale in the middle boasts excellent gradation nuance while whites are bright and crisp and blacks dark and deep without absorbing detail.

Never Take Candy from a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtrack enjoys a bit more breathing room than many of its similarly encoded tracks within the Hammer Ultimate Collection boxed set. The presentation is still center heavy, but listeners will find a bit more push out to the side. It may not be elegant, feeling pushed away from the center rather than organically spread to that area. Musical clarity is hit or miss; when Jean wakes up crying in the 16-minute mark, the clarity is surprisingly solid, even as it's competing with screams and sobs and the like. Conversely, some effects are muddy and flat; a busy school hallway in the 22-minute mark is cramped, unkempt, and lacking much distinction, whether footfalls, chatter, or rustling papers underneath the dialogue. It's all hit-or-miss, but the track is largely well rounded and capable, particularly in dialogue scenes where there are few or no competing sound elements. Dialogue images to the center and is sufficiently detailed, even when accompanied by a minor underlying hiss.

Never Take Candy from a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Never Take Candy from a Stranger includes one supplement: an Audio Commentary track with Filmmaker/Historian Constantine Nasr.

Never Take Candy from a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The film is disturbing and affecting. It's not slick by modern standards but the narrative essence, strong performances, and horrifying premise more than make up for the technical straightforwardness. Mill Creek's Blu-ray includes solid video, good audio, and an audio commentary track. Recommended.