The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1977)

Very Cool!!!

The greatest movie ever made..!

Absolutely Fantastic

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The 1970s is a decade chock-full of interesting and long-forgotten American and Canadian movies, many of them made for television, some not. THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE is such a film, an astonishing tour-de-force for a youthful Jodie Foster, cementing her shocking role in TAXI DRIVER. She plays a weird and friendless 13-year-old who lives alone in a house; there's some mystery surrounding the fate of her parents which comes to light as the story goes on. This is set in a single room for the most part and feels like it was adapted from a play, although it's actually taken from a novel. It's a psychological thriller which remains thoroughly interesting thanks to strong writing and interesting, unique characters. Martin Sheen plays a completely sleazy character and there are a few shocking moments here and there, but for the most part this is slow-paced and almost surreal at times. It's certainly a film that leaves an impression and is ripe for re-discovery by modern viewers.

This film is crazy...because in today's day in age, it just wouldn't be done. At least not in any mainstream way. It stars 14 year old Jodie Foster as Rynn...and it sexualizes the sh*t out her for the entire film. There's even a nude scene where she gets fully naked in a back shot with her tits hanging out in full view (though it's actually her older sister Connie...the implication is still pretty nuts).The very first scene is one of the most disturbing scenes I've seen in a film since the Irreversible rape scene. It is legitimately f*cking disturbing. It features a 36 year old Martin Sheen sexually accosting 13 year old Rynn, because he knows she's alone. Literally molesting her.He's known throughout town to be a child molesting rapist, but was married off to a cocktail waitress with two kids- by his racist mother- so that he could look normal.The mother also has it out for Rynn. She's also her landlady and knows something is up, because her father is never seen around- and also hates Rynn because she is a Jew.But Rynn always has an excuse for why he's not around. She always has an excuse for everything. She's a great storyteller, and uses it to her advantage.One day, however, the landlady dies, accidentally, at Rynn's house. And she tries to cover it up.In the process of this she attracts the attention of a young crippled magician boy who is probably 17 or 18. He helps her cover things up by hiding the car and redirecting things when a cop (his uncle) shows up asking questions. He also defends her from Sheen when he comes back and more than suggests he is going to rape her as soon as he leaves.She grows to trust him. And he soon becomes the only one she can trust, because she manipulates him into becoming complicit in the cover up.Which brings me to what makes this film so goddamn creepy, and kind of f*cking great! She is by no means a victim in this film, despite her sexualization, she is a very strong, liberated female character...at least in the film (as for Jodie Foster, in the rest of general reality, is up for question). But, as a film, it is excellent.For example, think about the story she tells the boy while they are sharing tea...and then think back to what she was doing with the mother before she accidentally killed herself. That was a lucky break! And great use of foreshadowing.It's the subtle little details like this- and pedophilia induced creepiness- that made this a cult hit. It literally had me going..."this is crazy"...the whole time. There's so much molestey tension in here.She does put out to the kid! First, it's implied...but pure, because they are both virgins, right? Then is the infamous boob scene. But through the whole film her breasts are augmented to be the center of attention- especially in scenes when she is alone with Sheen or the cop. And at risk of being molested.As a character, however, she seems to be a bit of a sociopath, and it was almost like she uses sex to manipulate her now boyfriend into never betraying her- using him to her advantage- rather than out of any actual love for him...at least at first. As she does seem to genuinely love him by the end (though she definitely would have offed him if she thought he had talked).This is definitely one of the most f*cked up films about rapey predators I've ever seen. Sheen has the creepiness of Kinski in Crawlspace, and the overall cringe factor of Irreversible. It's disturbing as all hell.The perfromances from both Foster and Sheen are great. Critics noted this was Foster's best performance yet- her most realistic portrayal of a child.Growing up as a child actor, might explain why...7 out 10.

Given this movie is from 1976 then it is still a movie that can be watched today. Why? Well, because it does have a story with solid contents, although it was unfathomably slow paced.What works out for "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" was the acting. A young Jodie Foster really carried the movie phenomenally, and she held her own against screen mammoth Martin Sheen. And speaking of Martin Sheen, then he really pulled off that sly, perverted role he was portraying, and this has to be the most sleazy role I have ever seen him in.While the story is slow paced, it was also rather predictable. You know what is going on right from the beginning, or at least it takes very little to figure it out.Just to quickly summarize the story, then it is about a 13 year old girl living in a big house, allegedly with her father, although no one has ever seen him. As the locals start to come snooping around, the girl attempts to shun them off by driving them away.If you enjoy a movie that is driven by a well-written, albeit slow paced, story, and if you enjoy a good old Classic, then "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" might be worth spending an hour and a half on.

(Credit to acidxian)Rynn Jacobs is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in a secluded house that she and her father have rented in a quiet seaside community. But whenever anybody from the town tries to satisfy their curiosity, Rynn's father is never around, and it seems as if the girl is all alone. Rynn's resourcefulness is put to the test as several people try to find out what she might be hiding, including the snobby landlady and her sleazy son. This was a very intriguing film. It slowly creeps up on you and manages to get under your skin. It's a great psychological thriller with many great surprises. You know something isn't right with Rynn, but Jodie Foster manages to make you care about her plight anyways. Despite that she had obvious problems, I still empathized with her. That's talent! Martin Sheen is excellent as the scumbag. I hated him for who he was. He creeped me out on several occasions with his inappropriate behavior. Scott Jacoby is entertaining as the friend Mario. I wouldn't call this a "true" horror film. It's a great movie nonetheless. It's a true gem.8/10