Case 39

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Case 39

R

2010

1h 49m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

22%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) thinks she has seen it all -- until she meets 10-year-old Lilith (Jodelle Ferland) and the girl's cruel parents. When the parents try to harm the child, Emily assumes custody of Lilith while looking for a foster family. However, she soon finds that dark forces surround the seemingly innocent child, and the more she tries to protect Lilith, the more horrors she encounters.

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Critics Consensus

Director Christian Alvert has a certain stylish flair, but it's wasted on Case 39's frightless, unoriginal plot.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 9, 2017

C

Almost identical to 2009's Orphan, Case 39 does little keep your attention as its riddled with cliches--menacing music, domino casualties, and predictable horror plotline.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Oct 9, 2010

1/5

Neither so awful as to be enjoyable nor eerily artful enough to be anything other than a snoozy also-ran.

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Ethan Gilsdorf

Boston Globe

Oct 7, 2010

1.5/4

It's a bummer when the audience is smarter than the protagonist.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 12, 2025

2/5

A few inspired performances still can't salvage this generic, repetitive supernatural experience.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aug 3, 2023

1.5/4

In the realm of evil child movies such as, most recently, Orphan, the dull supernatural thriller Case 39 does a disservice to the sometimes entertaining horror subgenre.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

Oct 4, 2021

1/5

[Zellweger] looks downright miserable throughout.

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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Sep 10, 2026

7/10 2009, Creepy Kid Social worker saves girl from parents who try to kill her. She soon finds out she's a demon. Bradley Cooper is in it.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 6, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Jagdpanzer T

@RT44446946 Jul 21, 2026

The kid in this movie is so insanely annoying, and the adults just act like ineffectual dummies the entire time. As an audience member you'll recognize almost immediate how easy this situation would be to resolve, but they drag it out and putter around for so long.

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Gretchen B

@gbaneyx May 13, 2026

Nothing original here. A little more plot expansion would have helped it be interesting.

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Carmen M

@Carmen905 Mar 26, 2026

I actually enjoyed the suspense and the build up of the movie, I would say that at the climax, you could easy identify where the movie was going, but it was such good start. I thought it was going to be more of an action movie with life telling messages, but I was surprised for it to go in a side supernatural. I loved the cinematic view of the movie but the main actress did get me frustrated at times because the answer was so simple to end the torture but it was good regardless. I recommend it if you're looking for something that has a plot-twist!

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acsdoug D

@acsdoug Dec 17, 2025

The "angelic child who's really a demon" is normally an effective horror sub-genre, but it didn't work well here. It didn't break any new ground, nor was it all that scary.

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Christian Alvart

Director

Renée Zellweger

Emily Jenkins

Jodelle Ferland

Lillith Sullivan

Ian McShane

Detective Mike Barron

Bradley Cooper

Doug Ames

Kerry O'Malley

Margaret Sullivan

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Case 39: Official Clip - Why Emily?

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Synopsis

In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) thinks she has seen it all -- until she meets 10-year-old Lilith (Jodelle Ferland) and the girl's cruel parents. When the parents try to harm the child, Emily assumes custody of Lilith while looking for a foster family. However, she soon finds that dark forces surround the seemingly innocent child, and the more she tries to protect Lilith, the more horrors she encounters.

Director: Christian Alvart
Producer: Steve Golin, Kevin Misher
Screenwriter: Ray Wright
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Misher Films, Anonymous Content
Rating: R (Violence and Terror|Disturbing Images)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 6, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.2M
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

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