I watched "The Little Girl Who LIves Down the Lane" (1976)
13 year-old Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) takes desperate measures to protects her dark secret while dealing with a nasty landlady (Alexis Smith), a teen romance (Scott Jacoby), and a stalker (Martin Sheen).
This is the kind of 70’s fare that might not get produced today due to its depiction of adolescent sexuality (Note: one scene was shot using an adult body double --Foster’s sister IRL). But the overall plot is that of both a mystery and a thriller. The mystery relates to Rynn’s living circumstances with her reclusive, absentee father while the thriller aspect emerges from her efforts to protect herself from meddling, dangerous, or incompetant adults. It’s uncomfortable to watch an adolescent girl take on an adult role as protector of her home but the “adultifying” of children seemed like popular plot device in 70s movies. When this film was released, Foster had just completed her controversial role in Taxi Driver. It's hard to imagine another child actor from the era pulling off this kind of performance.
The whole atmosphere is an excellent example of 70s noir: moody weather, earth tones, big cars. Foster is, of course, stellar and truly one of the great kid actors of the era. She and Martin Sheen share some riveting and very disturbing scenes together. Definitely a movie to enjoy with friends who like edgy films; not a great choice for a first date 😊
Posted Jun 3, 2026, 1:34 AM UTC