Iconic Quote
“Come along, kiddies!”
— The Child Catcher, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
What Makes Them Great
The Child Catcher has traumatized more British children than any other villain in cinema. Helpmann's skeletal performance and the concept of a man who lures children with candy taps into the most primal parental fear. He is disproportionately terrifying for a family film.
The Villain
The Child Catcher is the most terrifying villain in family cinema — a skeletal, black-clad figure who lures children with sweets and then captures them in a cage-wagon. Robert Helpmann's performance is pure nightmare: the long hooked nose, the hunched posture, the sing-song voice calling 'Come along, kiddies!' Ian Fleming created the character, and Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay — a partnership in childhood terror.
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