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Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane, Bradley Cooper, Callum Keith Rennie ... see more see more... , Adrian Lester , Kerry O'Malley , Cynthia Stevenson , Alexander Conti , Philip Cabrita , Vanesa Tomasino , Mary Black , Domenico D'Ambrosio , Benita Ha , John Carroll , Michael Bean , Lesley Ewan , David Patrick Green , Deejay Jackson , Taya Calicetto , Alisen Down , Darryl Quon , Suzanne Bastien , Jane Braithwaite , Fulvio Cecere , Colin Lawrence , Dagmar Midcap , Fran Gebhard , Bill Mondy , Andrew Airlie , Sarah-Jane Redmond , Charles Zuckermann , Yvonne Valdez , Paul Duchart , Daniel Bacon , Darren E. "Choo" Scott , Dallas Blake , Phillip Mitchell

In CASE 39, family services social worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) thinks she has seen it all... until she meets 10-year old Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland) and the child's cruel and dangerou... read more read more...s parents. Her worst fears are confirmed when the parents try to harm Lily, their only daughter. Frightened for her life, Emily enlists the help of Detective Mike Barron (Ian McShane) and takes Lily in while she continues the search for the perfect foster family. Just as it seems as though Lily is on her way to a more loving home, under the guidance of Emily and psychiatrist (Bradley Cooper), dark forces surrounding this young girl come to light and, little do they know, their attempts to protect her will only bring on greater horror... -- (C) Paramount

Flixster Users

42% liked it

64,218 ratings

Critics

23% liked it

70 critics

R, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Christian Alvart

Release Date: October 1, 2010

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DVD Release Date: January 4, 2011

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Stats: 4,146 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,146)

  • liquidchick76
    February 18, 2012
    liquidchick76
    It actually wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. Despite a fair amount of cheese and predictability, I stayed interested enough to watch the whole thing. Do not mistake this bone for high praise, however.
  • EightThirty
    January 11, 2012
    EightThirty
    12/01/2012 (Netflix PS3)
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 26, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Case 39 had a promising start, bur once you realize how the events play out; the film is just recycled ideas from many other possessed child films. The film doesn't do anything refreshing and it's a shame because it started off well. But about forty five minutes in, you realize h... read moreow ill conceived the film really is. I was very disappointed with this film, and I thought they could've done something very good with the direction of the plot, but unfortunately, it practically had to copy "The Exorcist" and "The Omen" in many respects. Case 39 is a wasted opportunity to create something truly scary, and it misses the mark on so many levels. One of the films weakest links is actress Renee Zellwegger, I find her to be a terrible actress and she brings this film down. The film is very predictable, and though it got off on a good start, as the film unwinds you realize how silly it is. Case 39 is a terrible film that uses too many clichés to try and developed its plot. While doing so, the film fails and it makes the viewer want to turn it off. Case 39 is a film that has nothing new, it recycles old ideas that we have previously seen in other films and the predictability of this is what makes this a bad film to watch. Not only with that, but with Zellwegger's bad acting as well. Case 39 could have been a good horror film, if it didn't go down the "demon child" path as a few films have done in the past. But like I said, this is a film that uses recycled ideas, and it just ends being a bore. Case 39 is an unimpressive film that lacks substance, a good cast and above all, a good story. This film is a very bad one that if you're a horror fan, should avoid.
  • 76Majikat
    July 17, 2011
    76Majikat
    I think this is the first role of Rene Zellwegger's where she has impressed me, an enjoyable but predictable storyline, however it was acted fairly well and came across more Supernatural Thriller than Horror.

    It has to be said that after the build up of the story, the ending was... read more a little disappointing.
  • RCCLBC
    July 14, 2011
    RCCLBC
    A fun premise that never quite hits its intended marks. The potential is there to be really creepy...but it just falls flat.
    The cast is good (particularly Jodelle Ferland), its the writing that is just horrible.
    It is truly mindblowing just how many holes there are in throug... read morehout the plot.
    I wouldn't go out of my way to see it...but if it came on some Saturday night while flippiing through the tv...
  • itsjustme2004
    June 28, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Great trailers. Not so great movie. Average at best.
  • murphmann93
    June 24, 2011
    murphmann93
    Not as good as I thought it would be but some of the scenes were horrible and really had you scared.
  • bbcfloridabound
    May 15, 2011
    bbcfloridabound
    Another Mad Child Movie. Renee Zellweger has come a long way from 8 seconds. Any movie she stars in now she's at the top of her game. In this movie she plays case worker who becomes very involved with a child who appears to be abused by her parents, when her parents are caught ... read moreputting her in a gas stove to burn her to death. Renee adopts her only to find out what the parents knew. Its worth 4 1/2 stars
  • aSpaceCowboy
    April 12, 2011
    aSpaceCowboy
    Sorry guys. I can't like a movie that pisses me off and has a predictability factor out the roof. I mean, what the hell was this shit? We have The Omen, The Exorcist, The Orphan, and many other titles to chose from that are just the same as this. Now, it's not that this is unorig... read moreinal that gets to me. Let's face it, nothing today is original. I just hated the little girl in this movie and how much of a bitch a 10 year old girl could be. For someone who's a demon, you'd think she'd be ab;e to actually kill people instead of just make them hallucinate and make them kill themselves. My gawd. Not to mention all the horror movie cliches in this film. Lead female runs scared in her underwear, ends up learning she's not afraid and has to to defeat the demon, parents are mistaken for being the bad guys...it's all too fucking weak. I especially hated how to set up some "clever" shots reminiscent of foreshadowing that everyone needed to have wooden floors. The reason for calling the people that she wanted dead didn't explain how they hullicanted form it. I guess if Lili talks to someone they go crazy...I gues. But again, little things like Lili talking through the body of a prisin inmate...oh man, did that ever make me roll my eyes any harder. This was such a fail and so bad that I couldn't make a decent review to show how much shit this was.
  • fb100000145236770
    March 27, 2011
    fb100000145236770
    Got a couple good horror moments,but for the most part it's you standard evil kid movie. Zellweger and Cooper are both ok,but not great. Not really their faults though,just a movie below both of their talents. The twists are seen a mile away,and some of the cgi is pretty bad. I... read moref you wanna watch demented kids watch" good son", "orphan", or" omen" all 3 much better and original compared to this.

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Critic Reviews

Ethan Gilsdorf
October 7, 2010
Ethan Gilsdorf, Boston Globe

It's a bummer when the audience is smarter than the protagonist. Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis
October 5, 2010
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

By the time the killings start, it's clear that Ray Wright's screenplay is more interested in following formula than in breaking new ground. Full Review

Frank Scheck
October 4, 2010
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

The devil made them do it, but that doesn't mean you have to see it. Full Review

Robert Abele
October 2, 2010
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

[Plays] like one more piece of multiplex in-box clutter, ready for the circular file in our moviegoing consciousness. Full Review

Chris Nashawaty
October 2, 2010
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly

An aggressively inept demon-seed chiller starring a bunch of grown-ups who should've known better. Full Review

Roger Moore
October 2, 2010
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Zellweger, forced to play a character who lurches from rational to absurdly credulous, loses credibility by the minute. Full Review

Jordan Mintzer
September 30, 2010
Jordan Mintzer, Variety

This ludicrous outing from helmer Christian Alvart and scribe Ray Wright takes its psycho-satanic babble much too seriously, and should elicit more laughs than frights. Full Review

Ruth Hessey
November 5, 2009
Ruth Hessey, MovieTime, ABC Radio National

This is a nasty and morally repulsive film. Full Review

Dave White
April 4, 2011
Dave White, Movies.com

[A] dumb thriller. Full Review

David Nusair
January 30, 2011
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a decent little horror flick... Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Emily Jenkins: Are you scared?[Lilith is trembling] Well I'm not...
    • Wayne: I interviewed many children till now, but never felt like this.
    • Emily Jenkins: How did you feel?
    • Wayne: Threatened.
    • Lilith Sullivan: What are you doing, you silly pumpkinhead.
    • Emily Jenkins: They say when you're born you're given your eternal soul. The part of you that lives on, lives again. Whatever evil she is,didn't come from us. It was already there. From the moment she came into being, she brought something with her. Something older, destructive. Soul of a demon.
  • The name 'Lillith" is taken from 'Lilith', which is a demoness/succubus from the mythologies of the Ancient Near East. The name was also used in the TV show "Supernatural", as the name of the female demon who planned on releasing Lucifer.
  • Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan) were both considered for the role of Lillith.
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