Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2924. The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (1976)

    2924. The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (1976)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on April 14, 2020 1976, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Apr 20, Drama, Horror, Movies Of 2020, Review, Thriller, United States
    7.5 An unsettling experience
    • Acting 7.7
    • Directing 7.7
    • Story 7.2
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith

    Director: Nicolas Gessner

    Running Time: 91 mins


    The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane is an American film about a 13 year-old girl in an isolated house with a dark secret, which she will do anything to hide.

    A striking little thriller that delivers strong intrigue and moments of real excitement, I really liked The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. Combining elements of dark social and personal drama with streaks of horror, it’s a powerfully unsettling watch, but one with brilliant narrative depth throughout.

    Above all, though, what really makes The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane such a great film is Jodie Foster. One of her earliest performances at the age of just 13, Foster is absolutely incredible throughout.

    Not only does she give a brilliant portrayal of a precocious young girl who clearly has something to hide, but going one step further, and bringing her character’s clearly troubled past to light with an air of riveting mystery.

    The way she holds her own against her older co-stars is both hugely impressive and enormously entertaining, forming the bedrock of some of the film’s most charismatic and engaging dialogue sequences.

    Opposite Foster, Martin Sheen stands out with a horribly slimy turn as a major antagonist, really deepening the film’s unsettling and often deeply uncomfortable atmosphere.

    Because, alongside its excellent performances, director Nicolas Gessner gives The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane a really unique tone. On the surface, it’s an eerie New England horror-thriller, with cagey tension and unpredictability throughout.

    But dig a little deeper, and you’ll discover that The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane touches on some very dark and very real issues, from paedophilia to personal independence and more. With that, Gessner’s direction and the core themes really make the film a whole lot more than just an eerie thriller.

    Saying that, however, there are times when the film really misses the mark with its central thriller plot. There’s a lot more going on beneath the surface, so the film never stalls entirely, but the way that the plot unfolds in the latter half of the film is a pale imitation of the exhilarating opening half.

    The movie gets off to a mesmerising start, with a deeply unsettling encounter between Foster and Sheen in the opening few minutes. From there, it builds and builds with tension and unpredictability, surrounding a dark secret that this young girl is so clearly hiding in her house.

    The problem, however, is that the movie really jumps the gun in revealing the secret, not retaining that striking air of mystery and equally unpredictability all the way to the finish. As a result, the final act is a little underwhelming in comparison.

    The exception to that is the film’s very last scene, which is a genius climax that features all the drama, tension, rollercoaster unpredictability and darkly unnerving atmosphere that the film could have done with all the way through.

    So, there are times when The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane doesn’t quite deliver the intensity and powerful unpredictability that its story could perhaps provide at best.

    Still, with a strikingly unsettling atmosphere, strong thematic depth, powerful direction and fantastic performances, The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane is an engrossing and at times exhilarating watch, so that’s why I’m giving it a 7.6 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.1
    Review
    February 19, 20210

    3261. I Care A Lot (2021)

    8.2
    Review
    February 27, 20190

    2471. Instant Family (2018)

    8.5
    Review
    May 28, 20150

    973. Pleasantville (1998)

    8.0
    Review
    May 26, 20200

    2968. Set It Up (2018)

    8.0
    Review
    February 19, 20130

    58. Mission: Impossible (1996)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.