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The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

Play trailer Poster for The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane PG 1976 1h 31m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Quiet, withdrawn 13-year-old Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) lives peacefully in her home in a New England beach town. Whenever the prying landlady (Alexis Smith) inquires after Rynn's father, she politely claims that he's in the city on business. But when the landlady's creepy and increasingly persistent son, Frank (Martin Sheen), won't leave Rynn alone, she teams up with kindly neighbor boy Mario (Scott Jacoby) to maintain the dark family secret that she's been keeping to herself.
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The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

Critics Reviews

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Melissa Anderson Village Voice Gessner's film may be for Foster completists only. But the intensity of her dead-eyed stare as the final credits scroll across her face reminds us of her preternatural ability, as a kid and beyond, to transform even the most negligible movie or scene ... May 10, 2016 Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Post Director Nicholas Gessner is deft enough to keep "Little Girl" engrossing from start to finish, and he springs a few witty, creepy surprises. Dec 21, 2015 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) This thirteen-year-old girl [Jodie Foster] is capable of expressing a complete catalog of emotions with the impassivity of a Sphinx. [Full review in Spanish] Aug 16, 2023 Full Review Grant Watson Fiction Machine A mostly superb little thriller that sits uncomfortably between character-based drama and exploitation picture. Rated: 8/10 Feb 8, 2021 Full Review Eve Tushnet Patheos Foster is a huge standout...just a ferocious, iconic, convincing portrayal. She makes what could have felt like a mannered film instead feel raw. Jan 23, 2021 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com A cult classic worthy of a wider following, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is ripe for rediscovery and features Jodie Foster in her first (and one of her best) lead performances. Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 8, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Christina F It had some definite iconic moments but nothing that really worked up to what I was wanting, ending was subpar. Watched the movie and just thought to myself "well it was just alright." Wont ever know what the hype was all about.# Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/12/25 Full Review Michael C Evil piece of crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/29/25 Full Review Stephen C 1 hour and 31 minutes of solving mysteries. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/28/25 Full Review Laurian D To sum it up: you'll find yourself hooked and rooting for characters who do wrong things for all the right reasons. Acting is top notch and the story unfolds like a novel. Fascinating movie with a perfect 90 minutes runtime. A hidden gem, don't miss this one. It's one of a kind. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/05/25 Full Review Abijith M One of the best thriller. Each and every one performed well.. Ending was good. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/28/24 Full Review Mike P (spoilers) Riding on the coattails of The Exorcist, this is another bad-girl movie; one of the better ones in this genre actually; stars Jodie Foster, as Rynne Jacobs; a mystery teenaged girl living alone in a seaside home somewhere in the Northeast Corridor...That she's leasing....And at first this seems like it's about a serial killer girl who's killed off her parents...but later we realize the story is trickier than that...It's sort of a variation on Home Alone actually...And she spends most of the movie dodging child molesters in the guise of Martin Sheen, and his nosy landlord mother Mrs. Hallett who threatens her independence. Interesting and moody, with excellent performances, particularly by Foster...Only debit: The score occasionally indulges in wah-wah pedal seventies kitsch; which almost ruins the movie...Almost...Overall: Thumbs up 👍 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

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Cast & Crew

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Nicolas Gessner

Director

Jodie Foster

Rynn

Martin Sheen

Frank Hallet

Alexis Smith

Mrs. Hallet

Scott Jacoby

Mario

Mort Shuman

Miglioriti

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The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Quiet, withdrawn 13-year-old Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) lives peacefully in her home in a New England beach town. Whenever the prying landlady (Alexis Smith) inquires after Rynn's father, she politely claims that he's in the city on business. But when the landlady's creepy and increasingly persistent son, Frank (Martin Sheen), won't leave Rynn alone, she teams up with kindly neighbor boy Mario (Scott Jacoby) to maintain the dark family secret that she's been keeping to herself.
Director
Nicolas Gessner
Producer
Zev Braun
Screenwriter
Laird Koenig, Laird Koenig
Production Co
Zev Braun Productions, Carnelian Productions, Filmédis, Filmel, Braun Entertainment Group, ICL
Rating
PG
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 22, 2018
Runtime
1h 31m
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