Blu-ray Review: Case 39

Case 39 is a horror film starring Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper. The movie made its way to U.S. theaters in fall of 2010 after more than two years of delays. I'll say up front that while the movie has been thoroughly trashed by many critics and filmgoers, I found it to be quite entertaining. The story focuses on a social worker who investigates a possible case of child abuse. In order to fully delve into the plot, some spoilers must be revealed from this point onward, so consider yourself warned.

Ten-year-old Lillith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland) has been having a difficult time at home. Fears of neglect and possible abuse at the hands of her parents have prompted the intervention of social services. Working the case is Emily Jenkins (Zellweger), who is unnerved by the girl's parents even though no hard evidence of abuse is discovered. Aided by her closest police contact, Detective Mike Barron (Ian McShane), Emily ends up saving young Lillith from being murdered by her parents. She then decides, rather implausibly, to foster the child in order to provide a more stable home environment.

In one of the more predictable aspects of Case 39, Lillith turns out to be a demon child. This should be fairly obvious to anyone who has seen The Omen, Orphan, or any number of other movies about possessed children. I understand that the movie is highly derivative of such movies. That didn't keep me from enjoying writer Ray Wright and director Christian Alvert's take on the material. Ferland is spooky as Lillith, a child with the power to turn anyone's life into their personal vision of hell. Zellweger is suitably terrified as her character Emily realizes Lillith's true nature.

Slowly but surely, Emily sees her friends and associates meeting gruesome fates. Lillith, much like the boy from the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life," wants Emily's undivided attention and devotion. That she possesses the power to get exactly what she wants makes Case 39 a fairly effective entry into the "fear of parenthood" subgenre. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, I jumped three or four times and found myself generally creeped out. If ever a recent movie has been disproportionately criticized on a wide scale, this is it.

Article Author: The Other Chad

My name is Chaz. A former co-worker (Dave) always misheard my name as "Chad." Complicating matters was a third co-worker, who was in fact named Chad. So Dave habitually called me the "other Chad."

Contact: chazlipp3@gmail.com

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