The film centers around a young woman who accepts a job caring for an unusual child in rural Southern California. Filmed largely toward the end of 1973, it was made on a budget of just $30,000—equivalent to roughly $180,000 today—and wasn’t finished until 1976 because of ongoing production setbacks, which is why it didn't come out until 1977. The story unfolds during the 1930s, but there’s a peculiar sense that it…

A young woman named Alicianne Del Mar takes a job as a baby-sitter for Rosalie Nordon, a girl grieving her mother’s recent death. On her way to the Nordon home, Alicianne experiences car trouble and is helped by Mrs. Whitfield, an older local resident. Mrs. Whitfield warns Alicianne about the Nordons, expressing dislike for them and suggesting that young Rosalie is responsible for misfortunes in the nearby woods; how…