Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dull "killer kid" tale features violence involving children.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
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Case 39
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 21 kid reviews
Kids say the movie is a mix of suspense and horror, featuring several plot twists that some find entertaining, while others label it as predictable and poorly executed. Many reviews caution that the content is disturbing, highlighting themes of child abuse and featuring intense violence, making it more suitable for older teens and adults rather than children.
- suspenseful
- disturbing content
- good for older teens
- mixed reviews
- predictability
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Stressed social worker Emily Jenkins (Renee Zellweger) is assigned one more case in addition to the 38 she already has, a young girl named Lilith (Jodelle Ferland). Emily visits the home and discovers that the girl's parents are showing signs of abuse. Emily decides to take Lilith in until a good foster home can be found -- but unfortunately, everyone around Emily quickly begins dying, starting with her psychologist friend, Doug (Bradley Cooper). Emily starts to believe that maybe Lilith is the problem, rather than her parents. Can she get anyone to believe her before it's too late?
Is It Any Good?
The "demon child" subgenre of horror movies is an old one, stretching from The Bad Seed to The Omen to the more recent Orphan, and Case 39 doesn't have anything fresh to add. Completed in 2007, CASE 39 sat around for a long time before being unceremoniously dump in theaters in 2010; in the meantime, director Christian Alvart went on to make the effectively moody Pandorum, but this movie is a dud.
In these movies, the horror springs from the concept that the purest and most innocent of all creatures -- a child -- can harbor murderous evil. But Case 39 doesn't seem to understand this; there's no real emotional draw to the characters, and they don't seem connected to one another. Alvart counts on jump shocks and sudden noises for his scary scenes, and none of it works very well. The movie never digs deeper into its premise.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 1, 2010
- On DVD or streaming : January 4, 2011
- Cast : Bradley Cooper , Ian McShane , Jodelle Ferland , Renee Zellweger
- Director : Christian Alvart
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Vantage
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 109 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence and terror including disturbing images
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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