Case 39 (2009)
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A social worker's attempt to protect a young girl from her parents leads her into a terrifying supernatural nightmare.
The story
Emily, a social worker, is assigned to investigate the family of 10-year-old Lillith Sullivan after the girl's grades decline and she becomes estranged from her parents. Emily suspects the parents are overprotecting and abusing the child, and she seeks to take Lillith into state custody. However, when the parents attempt to kill the girl, Emily intervenes and saves her. Lillith is then placed in Emily's care temporarily. As Emily begins to care for the girl, she discovers that the situation is far more dangerous than she initially anticipated, as strange and unsettling events begin to occur around her and her colleagues.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After rescuing Lillith from her parents' attempt to kill her, Emily takes the girl into her home. The situation escalates when a boy in another of Emily's cases is murdered, and a phone call from Emily's house is linked to the crime. During a psychiatric evaluation, Lillith's friend, Dr. Douglas J. Ames, is attacked by a swarm of hornets and dies. Emily visits the parents in a mental institution, where they reveal that Lillith is a demon who feeds on feelings. Shortly after, both parents die in the facility. Detective Mike Barron is also killed after a terrifying hallucination caused by a phone call from Lillith. Realizing she is being targeted, Emily drugs Lillith and sets her house on fire, but the girl escapes. In a final confrontation, Emily drives a car into the water to trap the girl. As the car sinks, Emily faces Lillith in her true demon form. Emily overcomes her fear, causing Lillith to release her, and Emily manages to escape and reach the shore, finally ending the ordeal.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christian Alvart
- Writers
- Ray Wright · writer
- Cast and characters
- Renée Zellweger · Emily; Jodelle Ferland · Lillith Sullivan; Ian McShane; Bradley Cooper
- Genres
- supernatural horror; horror thriller; mystery; psychological horror
- Themes
- protection of children; supernatural threats; hidden dangers
- Tone and mood
- tense; scary; gruesome
- Premise and plot tags
- social worker; demon; child villain; horror-thriller
- Reception
- The film was panned by critics and underperformed at the box office.
- Production trivia
- The film was delayed twice in the U.S. before its 2010 release.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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