The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane Details

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[Highly rated reviewer]

Not such a little girl

Although the premise of a young teenage girl living on her own, providing for herself seems a bit too unbelievable, if you can overlook that, you will find this an enjoyable movie. I first saw the movie 30 years ago, when you watched everything the talented Jodie released. If you overcome a couple of grisly scenes and a naked Jodie (not really Jodie, it's her big sister who does the nude scene) you have quite an entertaining movie. The 'one on one' scenes with Jodie and 'vicious child molester' Martin Sheen are classic,especially when she makes him a cup of tea, she had true class even at that age.

Even though Jodie is cast as a murderess, she came her closest to playing a normal kid in this mild-mannered horror movie, for people who don't much enjoy being scared. Miss Foster's foul deeds, which prove to be not so foul after all, are committed either accidentally or off-camera. The rest of the time, Jodie listens to Chopin, plays with her hamster, and falls so desperately in love that, when things go wrong, she can barely touch her dinner, which consists of a burger and a shake.

Check out her earlier roles in 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More' and 'Echoes Of A Summer'.

[Highly rated reviewer]

An overlooked gem

This overlooked gem of a psychological thriller features an excellent performance from a 14-year old Jodie Foster and a fantastically creepy turn from Martin Sheen as a paedophile. The scenes they share together are superbly acted and really crank up the tension and discomfort (the hamster torturing scene is particularly unpleasant). This film is a bit of a slow burner with very little in the way of action or gore, but the tense atmosphere really drew me in as more and more was revealed about what was going on in the house and what had gone on in the past.