Case 39 (2009)

I was kind of wary going into this movie because I really don't like Renee Zellweger.  I mean, I'm sure she's a very nice person, but I find her kind of annoying as an actress.  I also am tired of seeing Bradley Cooper and his weird beard everywhere I turn.  But I heard good things about this movie so I decided to give it a shot.

I liked Case 39, man.  If you liked Orphan or even Hide and Seek, this movie is definitely for you.  Creepy children seriously scare me and this girl was badass.  She had such a unique and exotic look, so I checked out her bio to find out that she is a Canuck!  Interesting.  Anyway, back to the movie. 

Case 39 is about an overextended social worker, Emily (Renee Zellweger) who is already overloaded with 38 cases when she gets another one dropped on her desk.  She begs to get out of it, but it's a no-go.  The subject of the file, Lilith (Jodelle Ferland) shows all the typical signs of neglect.  The school has notified social services that she's lost weight, falls asleep in class, and her grades have dropped significantly.

Emily visits the house and definitely finds something amiss.  The parents are seriously whacked and Lilith seems terrified to be in the house.  However, she has no solid reasons to remove her from the house as of yet.  She consults her friend/maybe-lover Doug (Bradley Cooper) and her cop friend Mike (Ian McShane) and they can't help.  However, when Lilith calls her one night in a panic, Mike agrees to go with her to the house and see what's up.

They approach the house to Lilith's screams and break down the door to find her being attacked.  Obviously the parents are arrested and Lilith gets popped into the system.  She begs to come and live with Emily, who she believes saved her life.  Emily petitions for temporary custody and gets it, and Lilith comes to live with her.  Meanwhile, she gets a variety of psychiatric help, including meetings with Emily's close friend Doug.  Yet, Lilith may not be what she seems.  Over time, she seems to turn from the innocent and abused girl into something more...sinister.

I've definitely said enough and I don't want to give the twist of the movie away.  I really liked this movie, although the numerous jump-scares did start to get on my nerves.   But this girl was genuinely creepy, it was an interesting concept, and the plot moved along at a solid clip.  I know I usually stay away from mainstream horror, but I think this one is definitely worth checking out.