Case 39

I was in the mood for a throwback psychological thriller or supernatural horror yesterday when I remembered one I watched a while back that shook me a bit. Not so much the horror part but the part of innocence that turned into something unsettling. The movie has stayed with me since then so I skimmed through it again.

Written by Ray Wright and directed by Christian Alvart, Case 39 (2009) is a supernatural horror movie starring Renée Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, Ian McShane, Jodelle Ferland and other supporting actors. This movie focuses on Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) a social worker who has seen enough troubled families to know that appearances can be sometimes deceptive. One case catches her attention when she meets Lilith (Jodelle Ferland), a quiet, ten year old girl whose parents seem to be abusing her.

Emily becomes convinced that Lilith is in danger when she catches the parents trying to roast her alive. Her suspicions are confirmed so she takes the girl into her own home with the help of Detective Mike (Ian McShane) while trying to find a safe solution for her.

After Lilith enters Emily's life, strange things start happening. Another foster child gets a call from Emily's house and kills his parents. After investigation, Lilith is suspected of being involved so she meets Dr Douglas (Bradley Cooper) for a psyche evaluation and that doesn't go well. People around Emily start experiencing terrifying events that make her doubt her sanity. She slowly realises that rescuing Lilith might have been a terrible mistake. Can she get out of this situation before it becomes too late for her?

My Review And Rating

I have always found horror movies more interesting when it starts with an ordinary human situation like Case 39 and slowly turns into something unexpected and chilling. What begins as a straightforward social worker case about protecting a child in an abusive home becomes something dark.

This movie is well paced and takes its time moving from the social drama part into the supernatural horror. I started to feel sorry for Lilith (great acting on Jodelle Ferland's part, by the way) and admired Emily's selfless act of caring for the child. When the tide turned, I questioned whether I understood the situation at all and that's what I enjoyed about this movie. The filmmakers play on our natural instinct to protect children and turns it against us, reminding me of The Good Son (1993), a similar horror I watched back in the days. I'll write a review on it soon after I dig up the VHS tape, dust and rewatch it.

The cast of this movie did a good job in my opinion, especially Renée Zellweger as Emily because she gives the character a believable warmth. She looks sweet and portrays a woman who believes she is doing the right thing. She makes decisions based on compassion as social workers should which makes what happens to her more disturbing. But I think compassion should work with awareness. Helping someone does not mean ignoring the signs that something is wrong which is what Emily does in this movie.

I'm not really a fan of Bradley Cooper in films but he brings some humanity to the story of Douglas, Emily's friend and neighbour. Their relationship gives the movie a little breathing space between the darker scenes. I like that it keeps Emily from feeling isolated during the early part of the story. Ian McShane too did not disappoint as the detective in charge of the case. He makes me want to rewatch all the X-Men films.

As a horror movie should be, Case 39 is a mix of terror, disturbing imagery and psychological tension. Some scenes are creepy, especially those involving people being confronted by their deepest fears. The director did great not depending entirely on blood and gore to sell the horror part. The tension and idea of fear works better in my opinion.

I noticed some flaws that I wish the director and writer had addressed before shooting the movie. Some characters make decisions that feel questionable especially once the danger becomes obvious. For example a character hears a strange noise and decides to investigate instead of staying safely where they are and this always makes me cringe. If such scenes are meant to lengthen the film or throw viewers off track, it didn't work for me. Instead they made parts of the story predictable.

The cinematography is not bad for a movie made in 2009 though it can be better. The visuals are stable and the transitions don't make the scary scenes awkward.

Rating this movie, I'd give it 7.5 out of 10 stars. It's a fine supernatural horror film with creepy scenes and enough chaos to make your heart skip and keep you on the edge of your seat.

All images above are screenshots from the movie

Poster image source

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