Case 39

Is the foster child in this would-be thriller just bad, or could she be … Satan? Filmmaker Christian Alvart's Case 39, which understandably languished on a studio shelf for years before a brief theatrical release, stars Renée Zellweger as Emily Jenkins, an overworked social worker who takes in a dark, moody 10-year-old named Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland), whose surly, uncommunicative parents tried to bake her in their oven, after which they were institutionalized. While Lilith seems sweet on the surface, she has a malign influence on people: over the telephone, she can induce others to perform awful acts—one darling little boy literally beats his mother and father to death at her instigation—and she can attack via animal surrogates (Bradley Cooper has a bad run-in with insects). Lilith is eventually revealed to be some sort of devil who preys on families, along with their acquaintances and relatives—a big-time bad seed. The rationale behind all of this is completely muddled, serving as nothing more than a crutch to allow for an avalanche of creepy effects—think The Exorcist on steroids—that lead to a chain of climaxes in which the increasingly teary heroine faces off against the demon child. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)