Case 39
Encyclopedia
Case 39 is a 2009 American horror film
directed by Christian Alvart
and starring Renée Zellweger
, Bradley Cooper
, and Ian McShane
. The film was shot in Vancouver
in late 2006 and was released theatrically in the UK, European and Latin American countries on August 13, 2009. The film was initially scheduled for America release in August 2008, but was delayed twice before its final release date on October 1, 2010.
er Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger
) is assigned to investigate the family of ten year-old Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland
), as her grades have declined and an emotional rift with her parents has emerged. Emily suspects that the parents have been mistreating Lilith, and proposes to her department to take the child away from her parents' custody. Emily's fears are confirmed when Lilith's parents try to kill her by roasting her in the oven at their home. Emily saves Lilith with the help of Detective Mike Barron (Ian McShane
). Lilith is originally sent to a children's home, but she begs Emily to look after her instead. With the agreement of the board, Emily is assigned to take care of Lilith until a suitable foster family
comes along. In the meantime, Lilith's parents, Edward and Margaret (Callum Keith Rennie
and Kerry O'Malley), are placed in a mental institution.
Not too long after Lilith moves in, strange things begin to happen around Emily. Two weeks later, another of Emily's cases, a boy named Diego (Alexander Conti
), suddenly murders his parents, and Barron informs Emily that somebody phoned Diego from her house the night before the crime. As she is suspected of involvement in the incident, Lilith undergoes a psychiatric evaluation by Emily's best friend, Douglas J. Ames (Bradley Cooper
). During the session, however, Lilith turns the evaluation around, asking Douglas what his fears are and subtly threatening him. That night while studying he receives a strange phone call in his apartment, Douglas is panicked by the sight of a mass of hornet
s coming out of his body and kills himself in his bathroom by snapping his own neck.
Emily gradually becomes fearful of having Lilith in her home, so she heads to the mental asylum for answers from Lilith's parents. They tell her that Lilith is a demon who feeds on feelings, and that they tried to kill her in an attempt to save themselves. Lilith's father tells Emily that the only way to kill Lilith is to get her to sleep. Shortly after Emily leaves the asylum, both parents die in unusual circumstances. Lilith's mother is fatally burnt and her father is stabbed in the eye with a fork after attacking a fellow inmate through whom the voice of Lilith spoke. Barron initially thinks Emily should seek psychiatric help, but is later convinced when he receives a strange phone call in his home from Emily's cellphone, which is being used by Lilith. He arms himself at the police precinct to aid Emily in handling Lilith. However, he inadvertently shoots himself in the head with a shotgun when Lilith makes him imagine he is being attacked by dogs. After realizing all her closest colleagues have been eliminated, this prompts Emily to serve Lilith tea spiked with sedative
. While Lilith is asleep, Emily sets fire to her house, hoping to get rid of her. However, the girl escapes unharmed.
A police officer escorts Emily and Lilith to a temporary place to sleep. As Emily is following the police cars, she suddenly takes a different route and drives her car at a high speed, hoping to bring fear to Lilith. Instead, Lilith forces Emily to relive her childhood memory of her mother driving fast in a rainstorm. Emily fights through the memory, telling herself that it is not real. The image fades, and Emily mockingly asks Lilith if she is afraid. Lilith appears scared by the fact that Emily was able to keep her wits through one of her illusions. Emily then drives the car off a pier. As the car sinks, Emily struggles to lock Lilith (now in demon
form) in the trunk by folding the rear seats against her. Emily is then able to open her door and attempts to swim to the surface. However, a huge fist of the demon punches a hole through the car's left tail light and grabs Emily's leg. Emily struggles and eventually breaks free as a trapped Lilith sinks to the bottom of the water. Emily climbs atop the pier and attempts to recover from this nightmare of an ordeal.
Its release has also been bumped many times in Australia
, but was settling for an August 20, 2009 date, with promotional posters being seen in cinema foyers, but the release date was changed yet again, to November 5, and an official Australian website has been produced to promote the film. A Mexican opening date has been set for December 4, 2009.
In the UK, the film was originally scheduled for release in April 2009, before being rescheduled to September 4, then September 25, 2009, and then December 11, 2009, where it was trailed in cinemas as part of the multi-film distributors' 'Autumn Cinema' advertising campaign. It was finally released on March 5, 2010.
cinemas on August 13, 2009 and in its opening weekend was ranked #12 with $35,056. Averaging $1,845 at the 19 cinemas it was released, the film failed to garner attendance. The film opened at a small wide release
in Australia, being shown on 85 screens. The film ranked #12 in its opening weekend with a screen average of $2,077 for a gross of $176,526. Extremely negative local reviews and a poor opening were followed by a 70% second weekend decrease. The film grossed a total of $AUD332,956. The film has grossed a total of $14,926,149 from its international run ahead of its U.S. release.
In its debut weekend in the United States, the film opened at #7 with an estimated $5,350,000 in 2,211 theaters, averaging $2,420 per cinema.
based on 69 critic reviews, with the consensus stating "Director Christian Alvert
has a certain stylish flair, but it's wasted on Case 39's frightless, unoriginal plot." Gareth Jones of Dread Central gave the film 2 out of 5 knives, saying, "I'm sure it will do decent business among the undemanding weekend-horror crowd and Zellweger fans when it eventually sees the light of day. Nobody else need apply." Margaret Pomeranz
of the Australian version of At the Movies gave the film one out of 5 stars, calling it "one of the least scary, dumbest movies I’ve seen in a long time." Co-host David Stratton
gave it 1½ out of 5, commenting that "once it sort of kicks into the plot – once it really gets down to the nitty gritty, like so many horror films it just becomes really ridiculous and silly."
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Christian Alvart
Christian Alvart
Christian Alvart is a German filmmaker and screenwriter.Prior to working in the film business Christian Alvart worked in various positions, most recently as a senior editor at Filmmagzin X-TRO. In 1999 he made his debut as a film director with the thriller Curiosity & the Cat, for which he also...
and starring Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
, Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
, and Ian McShane
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
. The film was shot in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in late 2006 and was released theatrically in the UK, European and Latin American countries on August 13, 2009. The film was initially scheduled for America release in August 2008, but was delayed twice before its final release date on October 1, 2010.
Plot
Social workSocial work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
er Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
) is assigned to investigate the family of ten year-old Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland
Jodelle Ferland
Jodelle Micah Ferland is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Sharon and Alessa in the 2006 horror film Silent Hill, Mary Jensen in the 2004 miniseries Kingdom Hospital and her portrayal of Bree Tanner in the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.-Life and career:Ferland was born in Nanaimo,...
), as her grades have declined and an emotional rift with her parents has emerged. Emily suspects that the parents have been mistreating Lilith, and proposes to her department to take the child away from her parents' custody. Emily's fears are confirmed when Lilith's parents try to kill her by roasting her in the oven at their home. Emily saves Lilith with the help of Detective Mike Barron (Ian McShane
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
). Lilith is originally sent to a children's home, but she begs Emily to look after her instead. With the agreement of the board, Emily is assigned to take care of Lilith until a suitable foster family
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
comes along. In the meantime, Lilith's parents, Edward and Margaret (Callum Keith Rennie
Callum Keith Rennie
Callum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian television and film actor. He started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the TV series Due South was his first international success...
and Kerry O'Malley), are placed in a mental institution.
Not too long after Lilith moves in, strange things begin to happen around Emily. Two weeks later, another of Emily's cases, a boy named Diego (Alexander Conti
Alexander Conti
Alexander Biagio Contini, born 1 September 1993, is a Canadian actor. Alex has worked in film and television since the age of six.-Early life:Conti was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada of Italian and Brazilian heritage....
), suddenly murders his parents, and Barron informs Emily that somebody phoned Diego from her house the night before the crime. As she is suspected of involvement in the incident, Lilith undergoes a psychiatric evaluation by Emily's best friend, Douglas J. Ames (Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
). During the session, however, Lilith turns the evaluation around, asking Douglas what his fears are and subtly threatening him. That night while studying he receives a strange phone call in his apartment, Douglas is panicked by the sight of a mass of hornet
Hornet
Hornets are the largest eusocial wasps; some species can reach up to in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex , which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters .- Life cycle :In...
s coming out of his body and kills himself in his bathroom by snapping his own neck.
Emily gradually becomes fearful of having Lilith in her home, so she heads to the mental asylum for answers from Lilith's parents. They tell her that Lilith is a demon who feeds on feelings, and that they tried to kill her in an attempt to save themselves. Lilith's father tells Emily that the only way to kill Lilith is to get her to sleep. Shortly after Emily leaves the asylum, both parents die in unusual circumstances. Lilith's mother is fatally burnt and her father is stabbed in the eye with a fork after attacking a fellow inmate through whom the voice of Lilith spoke. Barron initially thinks Emily should seek psychiatric help, but is later convinced when he receives a strange phone call in his home from Emily's cellphone, which is being used by Lilith. He arms himself at the police precinct to aid Emily in handling Lilith. However, he inadvertently shoots himself in the head with a shotgun when Lilith makes him imagine he is being attacked by dogs. After realizing all her closest colleagues have been eliminated, this prompts Emily to serve Lilith tea spiked with sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
. While Lilith is asleep, Emily sets fire to her house, hoping to get rid of her. However, the girl escapes unharmed.
A police officer escorts Emily and Lilith to a temporary place to sleep. As Emily is following the police cars, she suddenly takes a different route and drives her car at a high speed, hoping to bring fear to Lilith. Instead, Lilith forces Emily to relive her childhood memory of her mother driving fast in a rainstorm. Emily fights through the memory, telling herself that it is not real. The image fades, and Emily mockingly asks Lilith if she is afraid. Lilith appears scared by the fact that Emily was able to keep her wits through one of her illusions. Emily then drives the car off a pier. As the car sinks, Emily struggles to lock Lilith (now in demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
form) in the trunk by folding the rear seats against her. Emily is then able to open her door and attempts to swim to the surface. However, a huge fist of the demon punches a hole through the car's left tail light and grabs Emily's leg. Emily struggles and eventually breaks free as a trapped Lilith sinks to the bottom of the water. Emily climbs atop the pier and attempts to recover from this nightmare of an ordeal.
Cast
- Renée ZellwegerRenée ZellwegerRenée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
as Emily Jenkins - Jodelle FerlandJodelle FerlandJodelle Micah Ferland is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Sharon and Alessa in the 2006 horror film Silent Hill, Mary Jensen in the 2004 miniseries Kingdom Hospital and her portrayal of Bree Tanner in the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.-Life and career:Ferland was born in Nanaimo,...
as Lilith "Lily" Sullivan - Ian McShaneIan McShaneIan David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
as Detective Mike Barron - Bradley CooperBradley CooperBradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
as Douglas J. Ames - Callum Keith RennieCallum Keith RennieCallum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian television and film actor. He started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the TV series Due South was his first international success...
as Edward Sullivan - Kerry O'Malley as Margaret Sullivan
- Adrian LesterAdrian Lester-Personal life:Lester was born in Birmingham, England, the son of Jamaican immigrants Monica, a medical secretary, and Reginald, a manager for a contract cleaning company. He sang as a boy treble in the choir of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham...
as Wayne - Georgia Craig as Denise
- Cynthia StevensonCynthia StevensonCynthia Stevenson is an American actress.Stevenson was born in Oakland, California, the daughter of Gayle, an editor, and Al Stevenson, an upholstery warehouse owner. She grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia....
as Nancy - Alexander ContiAlexander ContiAlexander Biagio Contini, born 1 September 1993, is a Canadian actor. Alex has worked in film and television since the age of six.-Early life:Conti was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada of Italian and Brazilian heritage....
as Diego
Production
On October 31, 2006, a fire started on the film's set in Vancouver. None of the cast were on the set at the time and nobody was seriously injured, though the set and studio were destroyed.Release
The film had many planned release dates, since it first began production back in 2006. Its initial planned US release was February 8, 2008, which was changed to February 22, 2008. It was then moved to August 22, 2008, and then moved again to April 10, 2009. Then it got pushed back to a January 1, 2010, and even further when the official US release date was confirmed to be October 1, 2010.Its release has also been bumped many times in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but was settling for an August 20, 2009 date, with promotional posters being seen in cinema foyers, but the release date was changed yet again, to November 5, and an official Australian website has been produced to promote the film. A Mexican opening date has been set for December 4, 2009.
In the UK, the film was originally scheduled for release in April 2009, before being rescheduled to September 4, then September 25, 2009, and then December 11, 2009, where it was trailed in cinemas as part of the multi-film distributors' 'Autumn Cinema' advertising campaign. It was finally released on March 5, 2010.
Box office
Case 39 was released to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
cinemas on August 13, 2009 and in its opening weekend was ranked #12 with $35,056. Averaging $1,845 at the 19 cinemas it was released, the film failed to garner attendance. The film opened at a small wide release
Wide release
Wide release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing nationally . Specifically, a movie is considered to be in wide release when it is on 600 screens or more in the United States and Canada.In the US, films holding an NC-17 rating almost never have a...
in Australia, being shown on 85 screens. The film ranked #12 in its opening weekend with a screen average of $2,077 for a gross of $176,526. Extremely negative local reviews and a poor opening were followed by a 70% second weekend decrease. The film grossed a total of $AUD332,956. The film has grossed a total of $14,926,149 from its international run ahead of its U.S. release.
In its debut weekend in the United States, the film opened at #7 with an estimated $5,350,000 in 2,211 theaters, averaging $2,420 per cinema.
Critical reception
The film has received mostly negative reviews and currently holds a 23% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 69 critic reviews, with the consensus stating "Director Christian Alvert
Christian Alvart
Christian Alvart is a German filmmaker and screenwriter.Prior to working in the film business Christian Alvart worked in various positions, most recently as a senior editor at Filmmagzin X-TRO. In 1999 he made his debut as a film director with the thriller Curiosity & the Cat, for which he also...
has a certain stylish flair, but it's wasted on Case 39's frightless, unoriginal plot." Gareth Jones of Dread Central gave the film 2 out of 5 knives, saying, "I'm sure it will do decent business among the undemanding weekend-horror crowd and Zellweger fans when it eventually sees the light of day. Nobody else need apply." Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz AM is an Australian film critic and television personality.-Early life:Pomeranz was born in 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon, the then newly opened Macquarie University, and the Playwright's Studio at...
of the Australian version of At the Movies gave the film one out of 5 stars, calling it "one of the least scary, dumbest movies I’ve seen in a long time." Co-host David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
gave it 1½ out of 5, commenting that "once it sort of kicks into the plot – once it really gets down to the nitty gritty, like so many horror films it just becomes really ridiculous and silly."