Synopsis
In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins believes she has seen it all, until she meets 10-year-old Lilith and the girl's cruel parents. Emily's worst fears are confirmed when the parents try to harm the child, and so Emily assumes custody of Lilith while she looks for a foster family. However, Emily soon finds that dark forces surround the seemingly innocent girl, and the more she tries to protect Lilith, the more horrors she encounters.
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Cast
- Renée ZellwegerEmily Jenkins
- Jodelle FerlandLillith Sullivan
- Ian McShaneDetective Mike Barron
- Bradley CooperDouglas J. Ames
- Adrian LesterWayne
- Kerry O'MalleyMargaret Sullivan
- Callum Keith RennieEdward Sullivan
- Cynthia StevensonNancy
- Alexander ContiDiego
- Philip CabritaJavier
Recommendations
- 70
Movieline
There is enough lurid, ludicrous subtext in the material to keep fans of such things happy. As trash, this is top of the line. - 50
The New York Times
Radiating a distinctly retro vibe, this throwaway thriller from the German director Christian Alvart tosses a bone to Renée Zellweger, who chews it to a nub as Emily Jenkins, a harried social worker. - 40
Empire
Manages to be both very silly and highly forgettable. Only for those who collect killer-children films. - 38
Orlando Sentinel
It's only a movie, and not a remotely effective one. And for Zellweger, whose "Miss Potter" and "Appaloosa" were barely seen, with "Leatherheads" and "New in Town" further deflating her A-list clout, that's the real shame here. - 30
Variety
This ludicrous outing from helmer Christian Alvart ("Pandorum") and scribe Ray Wright ("The Crazies") takes its psycho-satanic babble much too seriously, and should elicit more laughs than frights. - 30
Boxoffice Magazine
A mess of a horror movie that spent several years sitting on a shelf and should have remained there living up to its fullest potential as a dust magnet. - 30
Los Angeles Times
One can't help experiencing the same dread about the exhausting flood of lackluster horror films that swamp our screens and, as Case 39 unfolds, realizing we're enduring one more. - 30
The Hollywood Reporter
Director Christian Alvart ("Pandorum") is unable to invest much stylization into the proceedings, and Ray Wright's by-the-book screenplay only serves as a reminder of the innumerable demon-child movies that have preceded this one.
