In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Wednesday, 19 November 2014

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

Sometimes categorized in the horror genre, this lesser known gem follows the oddly independent Rynn (a 13-year-old Jodie Foster) as she fends off locals from a deeply-guarded secret residing in her cellar. The film deals with such sensitive subject matter as pedophilia and teen sex. The intelligent Rynn waxes on such topics as early independence, individuality and nonconformity. I was impressed with how fluid and enthralling each dialogue-heavy scene felt. Foster acts well against the pedophile Frank Hallet (Martin Sheen), every subsequent encounter more precarious than the last. While horror elements remain, the tactful handling of the provocative subject matter elevates it into a remarkable drama.

4 poor Gordons out of 5

5 comments:

Dr Faustus said...

I like how it dealt with the closing scene. It was in keeping with the way everything prior to it was handled but it lingered longer.

3½ almonds out of 5

Borderline said...

It is absolutely a haunting and memorable scene.

It's too bad this is overshadowed by Foster's later films.

cuckoo said...

I'm completely confused.

Wasn't this just Nutted not even a week ago?

What sorcery is this?

Borderline said...

It was but I had previously written a nut for it before I started here. I showed it to Faustus and he thought it was superior so he gave me the option of posting it while he deleted his own.

Dr Faustus said...

It made sense to swap them. It was better than my weak effort.