The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1977)

Directed by Nicolas Gessner. Starring Jodie Foster, Scott Jacoby, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Mort Shuman. [PG]

Eerie story of precocious pre-teen Foster living in a rural New England town who feels threatened by locals encroaching on the house she shares with her always-absent father, including the nosy landlady (Smith) and her lecherous adult son (Sheen). Director Gessner creates a peculiar mood that keeps the viewer off-balance most of the way, weaving through tropes from different genres without ever committing—it’s primarily a mystery, but it also teases at the edges of coming-of-age drama, domestic horror, and more. Not entirely successful, due to the shaky credibility of its premise, a few contrived plot developments, and a slow-paced middle act, but the adolescent romance angle and subtle malevolence maintains an almost compulsive fascination. Sheen is suitably slimy, and Foster is almost uncannily convincing. Initially screened at Cannes in 1976.

70/100