Review of Case 39 (2009) by Michael M — 22 Mar 2011

Emily Jenkins is a social worker. Her cases deal with children who have either been neglected or abused by their parents. She has a mounting number of cases on her desk. 38 of them to be exact until one of her employee buddies plants another case on her desk: Case 39. It deals with a little girl named Lilith who is having some difficulty with her parents and at school. Her grades have been dropping and something doesn't seem right at home. Emily takes on the case.

She's introduced by the mother, Margaret, who looks as if she's been though hell. Then the daughter, Lilith, who is such a nice, sweet and polite little girl. The father, Edward, doesn't like having a social worker snooping around and he instantly gives Emily the willies due to his very odd behavior. When the Sullivan's drop by to give their account of how things are doing at the home, the father and mother seem to have their attitudes changed, but it's Lilith who immediately clings to Emily with a secret about her parents.

Emily is scared for little Lilith. So much so that she gives the girl her home number just in case something happens. Something does happen and Emily with the help of her Detective friend Mike bust open the Sullivan's door to find them trying to shove their daughter into the oven. They really must have NOT liked her, but why?

With the parents seeking mental help while also being incarcerated, Emily is propositioned by Lilith herself to want to stay with her. Emily, with a little thinking, decides why not? This little girl doesn't seem bad...right? WRONG! She's bad. Very, very bad.

This film sounds all too familiar already, doesn't it? Try not to let that dissuade from seeing it because it's actually the point. It's predictable from the very first moment from where you think it's going to go, but however it does surpass a shred of suspension of disbelief even at how unoriginal the plot may be. If Esther from the movie 'Orphan' ever had a sister then Lilith would be a perfect one at best except Lilith has something that Esther didn't: Powers.

Lilith isn't like other little girls. She's more like Damien from 'The Omen' except she wants to be loved and have everyone respond to her every need, but all the adults don't want to do that which was an interesting dynamic to the film seeing the adults being played out as potential monsters who want to kill this "precious" little girl. She feeds off of people's fears. At one point, Lilith is talking to Emily's boyfriend, Doug. He specializes in child psychology I believe. She openly reveals herself to be a force to be reckoned with in this particular scene. It's probably the most chilling in the way she callously responds to him and then threatening him after he reveals a fear he has of hornets.

When he receives an ominous phone call at his apartment, his fear becomes a reality except it's not real. Hornets begin to shoot out of the ear for which he held the phone to. It was probably one of my favorite scenes from the movie considering what happens to him in the end.

She's a force to be reckoned with, but how does one destroy something so "innocent"? Easy. Just don't fear her.

Overall, it's predictable, but very fun if you don't take any of it seriously. It fits perfectly in the demonic child category and you have to give it credit for that only.