A good case not to have kids
By Guo Shanwei | Posted: 25 November 2009 1227 hrs

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SINGAPORE : It seems most horror films involve an innocent little girl possessed by some sort of demon. Think the classic "The Exorcist" or the more recent "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". But what about a sweet little 10 year-old who is an all out demon?

"Case 39" is a repeat of a once refreshing concept - an adoptive child who is pure evil.

Too bad it also has 15-year-old Jodelle Ferland playing a role similar to her 2006 horror flick "Silent Hill" appearance where she was an adopted child who was a re-incarnation of a convicted witch.

Fighting evil in this movie is the only familiar face amongst a host of virtually unknown Canadian actors, two-time Academy Award winner Renee Zellweger. Her character saves the film from the usual treatment by using sheer bravery and common sense rather than religion in demon-fighting.

Zellweger plays Emily Jenkins, a social worker who thinks she has seen it all until she meets Case 39, a 10-year-old named Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland).

A visit finds her catching Lilith’s parents (Kerry O'Malley & Callum Keith Rennie), trying to kill their only daughter in a rather unconventional way.

After heroically saving Lilith, the social worker petitions against odds, to house the child until the right foster family comes along.

But Lilith, the apparent victim of abusive parents isn’t as innocent as she seems.

Things become even stranger after the people around Lilith start dying, one by one.

Emily wises up when she discovers that her charge was able to manipulate another 10-year-old to hack his parents to death in their sleep.

This is when her nightmare begins.

With the help of her good friend, detective Mike Barron (Ian McShane), a jaded police officer, Emily tries to find out if Lillith is emotionally disturbed or possessed big time.

Despite the strong performances put in by Zellweger and Ferland, they couldn’t save the show.

It doesn’t help that the movie runs near two hours with excessive blood, gore and cheap, sudden scares that gets tiring for the audience.

After Lillith pops off three people, we kind of get the hint. Too bad that director Christian Alvart doesn’t, but then again he does have only five films under his belt with “Case 39” being his first attempt at a horror film.

The movie also suffers from a weak storyline with loopholes that a 10-year-old can pass through and a finale that is as odd as it is abrupt.

It is a pity because “Case 39” really has a lot of potential, if the plot is relooked and some scenes are tightened. But for now, watch this only if you love sudden scares and loud noises.

- CNA/il