Fall 39

I checked this movie out after watching a trailer online and I gotta say, it delivered. It was a nice little surprise for this major horror fan. It didn't rely on the "jump scare" which so many horror movies depend on lately, although it had a few. It created a very creepy atmosphere that stayed til the very end. Given, this movie could've supported better acting (I'm looking at you, Renee) and directing but if you're looking to be entertained and a little creeped out for 90 minutes then check it out. It runs in the tradition of movies like "The Reaping" and "Orphan" where the child in the movie makes you feel a little uneasy the entire time. Defiitely one of the better straight to DVD movies in awhile. If you are a horror fan then this movie should put an evil lil grin on your bloody face. However, if you stray more towards romcoms and drama then go rent Love Actually or some other random terrible movie.

A social worker named Emily Jenkins (Renee Zellweger) fights to save a girl named Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland) from her abusive parents (Callum Keith Rennie , Kerry O'Malley) . When Emily meet the nine-year-old girl, she immediately fall in love with the well-educated daughter and then she decides to adopt the child only to aware that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected . Eventually, Emily begins to feel that Lilith is manipulative and possibly even psychologically disturbed . Later on , Emily learns Lilith has a troubled and mysterious history. Jenkins helped by Det. Mike Barron (Ian McShane) delves further into Lilith's past and discovers she is not at all who she pretends to be.

This is an entertaining terror movie where the intrigue,tension, suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room, corridors , elevator and interior and exterior. Remarkably well-acted, darkly paced , and effectively disturbing .This frightening movie is plenty of thrills, scary fun, chills, body-count and nice use of color with phenomenal results . It's brilliantly cast - Renee Zellwegger and Bradley Cooper- are top-notch as usual, but what really stood out where the natural performances director Christian Alvert (who subsequently would direct another good terror film with surprising style as ¨Pandorum) was able to get from the child actor-Ferland- .

Dark, edgy, twisted, effective, clever, intense, one of the best "evil child" films I've ever seen along with ¨The orphan¨(2008) by Jaume Collet Serra .It is a well-acted and slow-building suspense story with slick direction and cinematography. The creepy score also serves the film well, without becoming overpowering in signaling this is an " eerie" film. The actress who plays Lilith shows a skill in performance that makes one think we may actually have another Jodie Foster to keep an eye on. Compelling directed with startling visual content by Christian Alvart (Pandorum , Antibodies , Curiosity: the cat) . This genuinely mysterious story is well made and is one of the best ¨evil kid¨ movie with effective aesthetic and sense of style . Rating : 6,5 acceptable ; this unsettling picture will appeal to Renee Zelleweger fans and horror genre buffs .

Social Worker Emily (Zellweger) takes in 10-yr old Lillith (Ferland) whose parents tried to kill her.

Things kind of get wrapped up within the first 15-minutes and what else is there to do you ask yourself. Well, things aren't quite what they seem and by now, you will have figured it all out. But, again, it's in the telling that makes this a good movie and you stay with it.

This is billed as a horror movie and you know I don't review horror movies (hey, I have to sleep at night). Okay, so I took a chance. See? The acting is first rate by all and the pace is very good. There is a certain amount of tension and suspense and you won't sleep here.

Now, although you have figured things out, you have not figured out how this ends or should end, or will end …..whatever. That occupies your mind quite a bit. And, along the way, you find yourself jumping at certain things. Not really horror though, but could have been.

Renee Zellweger really got into her character to such a point I was mimicking her moves at times. I felt as though I was there. You'll see.

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, but only one or two F-bombs

The beginning intrigued me. What is the entity in question, and why is it tormenting Lilith, and her parents before her? Why do the parents blame Lilith when she is clearly a victim? This is the main thing Case 39 has going for it: you won't know at first what type of movie it will end up being. Later in the film, though, it has chosen its bag of clichés and sticks to them. Which bag? Ah, that would be telling.

This being said, the common devices director Alvart chooses for the film still work, and Ferland (Lilith) does a good job in a demanding role for a girl who was twelve or thirteen years old when the movie was completed, on 2007. It was finally released in October of 2010, the month of Ferland's sixteenth birthday.

Why you should see it You enjoy things, other than your annoying upstairs neighbor, that go "bump" in the night. You still find Zellweger to be as adorable as she was the first time she said "you had me at hello," and not nearly as annoying as that line became upon its 300th repetition. You like your paranormal phenomena to surround pale, creepy kids.

Why you shouldn't see it You're terribly afraid of hornets, heights, shotguns, ovens, carving knives, bodies of water, forks, and blunt objects, and you don't feel up to confronting all of these phobias within the space of two hours.

It's a decent movie. I liked very much some cinematographic concepts cleverly used here to build solid tension, and mystery effect. We are used to very straight way of telling very straight stories, but sometimes it's good to move the camera off the basics a little (even if the story isn't very original), just to tell something more by the picture, than only what the picture depicts. Mr Bogdanski (DP) and Mr Alvart (DIR) have used some of those "tricks" carefully and wisely, gaining few disturbing shots which actually describe the feel of the whole movie. The story is simple, predictable, and has the "yep, I've seen this before" factor, but THOSE few (yes, only few) weird shots puts this movie slightly above the average. And there are Callum Keith Rennie, Kerry O'Malley and Ian McShane who work in the same business here with DP and Director - giving very intense and disturbing appearances in supporting, yet the movie tone establishing roles (especially Rennie not being too demonic). I'm glad that screenplay had provided them few very good sequences to play in.

But let's be frank - that's not enough to break the limits. We have to remember some major flaws: First - the movie is very predictable. Very. Second - Jodelle Ferland plays in a simple, cheap way, using far away easier acting methods, than her character needs. Third - a promise of originality made by DP and Director in the first part of the movie, is never kept because of the second half, where everything is put in WYSIWYG manner, known from shitty Hollywood.

Summing all up - You CAN watch it with a pizza and a beer, but hardly believable that you WILL manage without those. :)