Case 39

Emily Jenkins, a seasoned social worker, believes she has seen every kind of family trouble until she meets a ten year old girl named Lilith. Lilith's parents are cruel and expose the child to danger, prompting Emily to step in and take custody while she searches for a safe foster home. But what seems like a straightforward protective case quickly reveals something darker about Lilith, as eerie events begin to pile up and threats appear to circle the girl. The more Emily tries to shield Lilith, the deeper she is drawn into a nightmare that tests her beliefs about danger, mercy, and her own limits.

Directed by Christian Alvart from an original screenplay by Ray Wright, Case 39 arrived in theaters in 2009 as a lean thriller built around a social worker on the edge.

With a budget around 27 million, the film grossed about 29 million worldwide, marking a modest but respectable return for a mid range horror mystery.

Renée Zellweger delivers a restrained, steely performance as Emily, while Jodelle Ferland unsettles as Lilith with a unnerving stillness. The movie fed into late 2000s suburban horror, where danger hides in ordinary households and sparked conversations about protecting vulnerable children within the system.

Critics divided over pacing and tonal shifts, but praised the atmosphere and strong acting. The film wrestles with guardianship, the ethics of sheltering a potentially dangerous child, and the moral cost of protecting others from unknown threats. It leaves viewers weighing what it costs to shield a child from danger that hides in plain sight.