Simply Perfect

Absolutely Fantastic

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Watched this film from 1976 and true it was a decade and period that was good for horror films, still this entry called "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" to me falls more into the suspense mold. The build up is slow and the plot is a little hard to follow with interest and much of the characters life and happenings appear to be in secret. In one of Jodie Foster's early roles (in fact this was the same year of her stardom role of "Taxi Driver")she is Rynn a young girl who lives in a seaside old resort house with her very reclusive father. It appears she's all alone or is she? Is something down in the basement? Her neighbors(note: Martin Sheen plays one of them) suspect that Rynn is dangerous and hiding secrets and they make appearances trying to set her free from this isolated world. However word of warning don't go down in the basement cellar. Overall this film is off beat considered a cult like film of suspense and drama it's twists and turns will keep you the viewer guessing.

The movie's a creepy gem with a highly original screenplay, even if the premise stretches a bit. At the center is a 13-year old girl going on 35, who lives alone in a big house in the country. But then Rynn's got to be like a practical adult in order to organize all the household affairs. And that raises the question-- just where are her dad and mom. 13-year olds just don't live alone, especially in creepy old houses. Turns out dad's nowhere to be seen, even though the girl tells people dad is there. Little Rynn sure doesn't look scary, more like the small blonde down the street. But hold on. She finds school "stultifying". Now, since when do 13-year olds throw around 10-pound words like that. Hers may have been an intellectual family, but still you don't get words like that from MTV. So now we know she's a prodigy, who wants to take total charge of her formative years without adults butting in and messing things up. Some kid!The movie's a creepy gem, with few scenes outside a shadowy parlor room. Foster manages a 90-minute deadpan, so we never know what little Rynn is thinking. But catch that commanding voice, exceptional for any adolescent, making Rynn's prowess that much more believable. Then too, her face-off with the obnoxious Mrs. Hallett (Smith) is a knockout of strong personalities, and in more ways than one. Plus, the final scene with the lecherous Frank (Sheen) amounts to a masterpiece of sly scripting and staging. And through it all, 13-year old Rynn keeps an absolutely straight face. Quite an acting job by young Foster.Except for the neighborly cop, none of the principals is especially likable. As a result, there's no one really to root for. Instead, we're glued to the screen awaiting clues to the missing mom and dad; plus, what the heck is beneath that trapdoor, which also happens to reflect Rynn's perverse psyche. Whatever is there, it's beneath the calm surface. Nothing's spelled out in the narrative. Instead, we're pretty much left to put the pieces together. Anyhow, my only reservation is the romantic interlude with Mario (Jacoby), but I guess that works to unsettle us even more. All in all, the film's a masterful thriller, and a definite one-of-a-kind. Meanwhile, I'm staying away from anything that looks like a trapdoor.

Jodie Foster, at age fourteen, gives a remarkably compelling performance in this cult oddity. It is Foster who keeps us riveted to the screen, as she is surrounded by a fine array of ensemble players, including Martin Sheen and the incomparable Alexis Smith.The first part seems more creditable than the latter as characters are introduced and the story line unfolds in a spooky manner. There are a few loose ends in the script's second half that are effectively covered up, and the quickie production is good-looking throughout.In reading Foster's biography, I was amazed she began acting at age three and chalked off nearly fifty film and TV appearances before attending college. In addition to her acting credits she directed the unusual Little Man Tate, one of my favorites.Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lame is an effectively off-beat yarn that holds our interest throughout--particularly at October Goblin Time.

Stilted, unnatural acting, something of an amateur community theatre calibre.A tedious and unbelievable tale, any hint of mystery and macabre is quickly squashed by boredom and ill-chosen "tell me" rather than "show me" elements in a script that moves along with all the grace and speed of a flat tire.Crap acting, lazy direction, obnoxious score, lacklustre lighting, poorly constructed story, badly written script ( with an unnecessarily disturbing implication of animal torture and murder, to which the characters don't have any emotional reaction whatsoever) round out this pitiful disappointment into one of the worst movies I've ever sat through. How this ever managed to have a 7-star rating on IMDb is beyond me.This horrendous flop of a film would better serve as kindling. Don't waste your time.(The only thing that kept me from shutting it off, 30 minutes in, is a personal goal to see all of Foster's films... no cheats. So far, this is the only one that has been painfully bad.)