I think this was originally intended for parents to see, but there was no place for parents to see it, so rather than let the 300 dollar budget go to waste, they decided to show THE CHILD MOLESTER to kids in grade school. And so, 50 years later, this film is never mentioned without adults coming forward to talk about how the highway safety foundation robbed them of their childhoods. Some of these people are in the comments. If you haven't made it to the end, The film ends with crime scene photos of murdered chiildren. It's pretty upsetting to see this in your 50s. I can't imagine what that was like for the second graders who became this film's target audience, if only by default

Each star is for when I went "WTF?"

Random old lady: "Oh those kids are getting into a car with a man who clearly isn't their father. Welp, I'm sure there's nothing creepy going on." Remember, when in doubt of whether you should report a creepy dude inviting kids into his car or being called a busybody, what people think of you is always more important than the safety of children.

Oh man, there's a review by the son of the guy who played the child molester.

I can't wait for the MST3K Version!

CALLING JOEL ROBINSON!

https://filmbunnies.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/the-child-molester-19 64-the-highway-safety-foundation-beyond-the-road/

http://brightlightsfilm.com/strangers-with-candy-the-highway-s afety-foundation-and-the-child-molester-1964/#.VS9AxfnF_h4

both of these are interesting articles about the production of the fiolm, the Highway Safety Federation (and Highway Safety Films) and the Mansfield Police Department's role in the production of this film.

Oh god those pictures at the end. Jesus fucking Allah I can't take that WHAT DID I JUST SEE! FUCK

Nope, not gonna see this. But five for base, vile evil.

I decided to play this when I was in a better mood this morning. Somehow I knew it would be necessary. I still had a bit of a headache when I hit 'play.'

If instinct tells you not to watch this, I don't blame you. Everything from the Battleship Potemkin step massacre angles on the kiddie rapist to the gory dead children footage at the end to the closing shot of the bloody shoe floating in the creek...I normally just say "fuck it" and rate every video on here five because I'm lazy and want to be nice but right now I don't know. I just don't know.

I thought of some riffs while I was watching. Even vocalized a couple. Like hey, what if that montage of creeps who are trying to talk to or grab the kids near the end are really just trying to warn them away from the alleyway or a shady neighbor? Why is this little girl being chased through the woods to a soundtrack from a 50s crime caper?

Then I hung my head in shame and my eyes filled with sorrow, the same way our dog looks after she's shit the carpet. I can appreciate dark humor. There's just no way to make this funny without feeling guilty afterwards.

Judging from the comments of those who had to watch this as kids I think I'll pass on this one.

The IMDB reviews really are something. Full of people recounting their horror at seeing this as seven year olds (SEVEN YEAR OLDS).

Jesus Christ, can you imagine showing those last couple minutes to a cafeteria full of seven year olds, much less 1960s seven year olds who didn't even have Cawadoody levels of violent media to be exposed to?

Looks like Mary is going to shake hands... with danger.

I saw this at Archive a few years ago, not as disturbing as I thought, but then I know of the driver ed films and read comments first, more disturbing that viewers carried fears based on this film for a lifetime. It might be like people growing up in war time and seeing terrible things.

Child psychology was pretty new in the 1950s, there were some odd ideas compared to today, and therapies to go along with them, like one I read about, Orgone Therapy.

Boomer

Never before has their been a more natural and appropriate synergy between user and submission; it's like his shuddering failing land whale body is pushing out little shit stained tentacled crawling eggs out without his Swiss cheese rat brain being able to stop himself from going full confessional and self sabotaging. JHM at which point do you appear in the film or could they not fit a camera and lighting rig into the delapidated garage where the social service workers keep that inflatable above ground pool they keep your sorry ass in?

Now that's one well-dressed child molester.

There was no need for that ending!