Day 6: 31 Days of Horror: The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) is an odd movie. It is about a young girl, Rynn (played by Jodie Foster), who lives in a secluded house that she and her father have rented. The town they live in is very small and quiet and many of the people in the community are curious about the girl and her father. No one in the town ever seems to see the father, so they wonder if the little girl is actually living in the home alone. Whenever anyone visits the house, Rynn always says that her father is working, out of town, or resting.

However, a couple of people, a nosy landlady and her creepy, perverted son, Frank, become too curious about Rynn and her living situation. They will not leave her alone and Rynn is used to her life of solitude, she will do anything to get them off her back. Things end up getting out of hand when the landlady demands to look in the cellar, which ends up leading to her discovery of a dark secret, as well as an accidental death.

In need of some companionship, Rynn ends up befriending a crippled boy, Mario, who lives in the neighborhood. He is sweet and the two end up becoming very close. He will do anything to protect her, especially from creepy Frank. Will the two be able to successfully keep the pervert at bay or will he end up destroying Rynn's life?

This movie disturbs me, I think it was very well done, but I am surprised that Jodie Foster's parents allowed her to do this role back when she was 13. She handles it well, but that's not surprising, since she also starred in Taxi Driver (1976) during the same time, another role that seems too mature for a 13 year old to be in. I am so happy that I've seen other movies with Martin Sheen before this because I would definitely have been afraid of him. He's really scary in this film and I'm still upset over the hamster scene.