The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

A 13-year-old girl (Jodie Foster) goes to extreme lengths to protect her haven from prying adults.

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane takes a far-fetched premise and runs with it, to astonishing ends. Taking a fresh look at the oft-used horror device of children as monsters, Laird Koenig’s script (from his own novel) flips things around, painting the adults as monsters who bully and terrorize the protagonist.

It’s a tricky premise, and one that could easily descend into over-the-top camp, but Koenig and director Nicolas Gessner play it straight, to a chilling effect. Despite its PG rating, this is one creepy movie. The filmmakers put you into the house with a young Jodie Foster and make you feel just as vulnerable she does, especially when Martin Sheen shows up.

Sheen’s performance as a creepy neighbor with a thing for young girls ranks as one of the best villains ever. It’s completely believable and menacing, but never over-the-top. His scenes with Foster are the film’s best and also the most unnerving.

For her part, Jodie Foster pulls off a complex and difficult role with ease. She’s believable from the start and, at times, acts the most adult, of all the characters. Yet, despite that, she manages to convey the vulnerability and uncertainty inherit in her character’s age. It’s a tricky balance, but you never get the sense Foster is forcing it.

Indeed, about the only misstep the film makes is the use of some distinctly 70’s disco-funk music early on in the soundtrack. While it’s likely Gessner was using it to set up a contrast with the darker, eerier music in the later acts, it only serves to date the film. It’s a small blemish, but a blemish nonetheless.

That said, for horror fans, and fans of offbeat thrillers, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is a must-see. The competence and sheer originality of the thing make it well worth your investment.