Renée Zellweger thrills audiences in Case 39

By Mae Velasco [Current Events Bureau Chief]

Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) is a social worker who takes on a young girl, Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland), in the horror movie Case 39. After Lilith’s parents try to kill her, Jenkins saves the girl by putting her into the foster care system. When Lilith is not adopted, Jenkins decides to take the girl in and welcome her to her home but trouble soon ensues.

Lilith started out nice and innocent in the beggining of the film but the girl’s true colours began to show during an interview with Jenkin’s friend. She started to talk like a grown-up—which is far from her age.

Detective Mike Barron (Ian McShane) aids Jenkins in finding a foster family for Sullivan but Jenkins takes Sullivan in herself. The dilemma spirals within the relationship between Jenkins and Lilith. Bad situations, such as death, occur as soon as Sullivan arrives at Jenkins’ home. Jenkins wants Sullivan out of her house, but the circumstances are not easy.

Lilith had a freaky, mischievous smile throughout the movie, which became increasingly threatening as her character progressed. Director Christian Alvart really mastered the horror genre, as it all felt so real. A subtle dealing with special effects made the film seem spooky as the originality of the movie stayed true. The special effects did not hog all the attention of the movie. A real, subtle experience of live human interaction between Lilith and Jenkins make it a match of a true horror film.

Although some scenes were predictable–like when Lilith stabbed a knife on the wooden floor–the flow of the script and cinematography was good and constant. The film is intriguing and motivates the audience to keep watching. One criticism the film’s audience might have is wishing the ending would have been clearer and wouldn’t leave us feeling like it was just hanging out of nowhere.

All I could hear was “psychogirl” as my fellow attendee kept whispering this throughout the movie. She was a psycho little girl. It resonated with me, too.

If you’re looking to see a good horror flick for Halloween, definitely see Case 39. The character of Lilith is reminiscent of the girl from The Ring with her straight black hair and creepy eyes that’s a total psycho of a child. I felt uneasy watching her become a complete threat to Jenkins. I bet you would feel the same way too.