The Child Molester

"The Child Molester" is a public information film; it is not so much about child molesters but the even more odious child killers, notwithstanding there is some overlap. The Americans made a few of these films in the 1960s to warn the young about the kinds of people they ought to avoid if they wanted to die in an old folks' home rather than a year or two on in a ditch somewhere. This one is fairly dramatic, beginning with the double kidnap of two girls with the narrator pointing out what they did wrong. Of course, at the end of the day the people who need to be trained are the parents, so this is primarily a parental guide, in fact some might have deemed it unsuitable for a young audience because it finishes with actual crime scene footage to show parents what their kids might end up looking like if they don't heed the warnings. All very dramatic, sinister, and yuk, but at the saying goes, if it saves one life, it's worth it. Hopefully it did. If there is a desideratum, it is the absence of female predators. They do exist, and did exist then, in fact at the time "The Child Molester" was made, one of the most notorious in living memory - Myra Hindley - along with her lover Ian Brady, was half way into her killing spree.

While this film has rather poor sound and it looks quite dated, for a 1960s public service film, it did a good job of explaining the problem of child molestation and how to protect your kids from them. I'd just watched another public service film "Duck and Cover" and found 99% of its advice to be completely ridiculous, as it advocated covering your face with newspapers or hiding under a school desk to help you survive nuclear attack! "The Child Molester", on the other hand, gets a lot of it right--and it's a sobering reminder to parents to talk about this with young kids.

It's important to note that I used to be a social worker and then a therapist specializing in sexual abuse treatment. So I have a good idea of the good and bad of this film. As far as the bad goes, it perpetuates the stereotype that molesters are strangers and men. Most reliable estimates are that only about 10-20% of the molesters are strangers and while men still predominate, in recent years the number of identified female perpetrators is on the rise--so you need to take some of the advice with a grain of salt. However, the film excels in showing that you can inoculate a child against such stranger rape by simply teaching them a few basic rules. It won't protect them in every case (as the film is clear to explain) but it will eliminate much of the risk. Also, the ending of the film, while very graphic and disturbing, is very effective--it shows that the risk is real and deadly.

Overall, not a bad film at all and an interesting relic from the 1960s.

Really loved this movie, really encouraging and deeply connected 10/10 don't listen to the low reviews those are just average dumb libtards who want to cancel us and censor our beliefs and freedoms of America. This is a true masterpiece classic that I routinely return to show my kids and would fully recommend you to do so as well.

A sexual predator,who enjoys preying on young girls is on the loose.Two innocent kids are led away by a stranger who has candy.They are taken to a secluded area.When one of the kids manages to escape the stranger says "come with me or I'll kill you now!" when the stranger finds the other kid.The other girl with the stranger breaks free,while the other kid yells "save yourself!".The ending of this short is horrifying.We see very graphic footage of two murdered girls,who were battered to death.It's real and not for the easily offended."The Child Molester" was filmed in Mansfield,Ohio.The name of the child killer was Gerald Ray Howell.The film was produced by the Highway Safety Foundation in 1964 and it's too disturbing for little children to watch.It works as a warning,though!

We lived on Ausdale in 1962, one street from Central Park and just south of North Lake Park where my sister lives now. I was 7, my sister was 8. We snuck through the parks all the time (whether our parents okayed or Not!). One week after the murders our bus, running late, dropped us at the entrance of N. Lake Park. There was usually an older man there with a cotton candy machine. Who could resist?

When we were picked up a few hours later by MPD, officers kept us there and called our father down. He silently, solemnly, trundled us into the car. Turning onto Ausdale I will never forget my mother running down the hill crying like I'd never seen before or since. It was indescribable! Dad stopped the car and let her in for the short ride to our driveway, she squeezing us tight and sobbing.

They never told us anything. No one ever spoke of our childlike indiscretion but I know now what we put our parents through that afternoon, and will grieve it the rest of my life.