There’s a whole subgenre of horror built on a simple fear: a child who isn’t what they seem. “Case 39” is one of the nastier entries in it, and right now you can stream it for free on Tubi. Move quickly, though, because it’s leaving the platform soon.
This 2009 supernatural horror flick comes from director Christian Alvart (“Pandorum”) and stars Renée Zellweger as a social worker who bites off far more than she can chew. She’s joined by a great supporting cast as well: Ian McShane as a detective and Bradley Cooper, years before “The Hangover” made him a star, as her ill-fated best friend.
Critics were rough on it back in the day, but “Case 39” is a genuinely creepy watch with a couple of moments that’ll stick with you, so if you’re in the mood for a mean little horror movie tonight, you’ll want to make sure you catch it on Tubi before it disappears.
What is ‘Case 39’ about?
Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) is a social worker in Oregon who takes on her 39th case: 10-year-old Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland), a quiet girl who seems terrified of her own parents.
Emily suspects abuse, and her worst fears appear to come true when Lilith’s parents try to kill her by locking her in an oven. Emily and a detective (Ian McShane) rescue the girl, but rather than send her to a children’s home, Emily takes Lilith in herself.
That’s when things start to go very wrong. People close to Emily begin dying in strange, horrifying ways, each one right after crossing paths with Lilith. Desperate for answers, Emily visits the girl’s institutionalized parents, who finally tell her the truth they were trying to escape: Lilith isn’t a child at all, but a demon that feeds on fear. Now, Emily is the one standing between it and its next meal, in a house she invited it into herself. And things only get worse from there.
So, I’ll be real here. “Case 39” isn’t reinventing anything. It’s obviously an homage to several other movies, and it doesn’t exactly have an original premise. But it’s a lot more effective than its reputation suggests, mostly because it plays everything straight. And its cast is fantastic: Zellweger really commits completely to a woman slowly realizing she’s made a catastrophic mistake, and young Jodelle Ferland is genuinely unnerving as Lilith.
The real reason to watch, though, is the handful of scenes that go for the throat. There’s a scene involving Bradley Cooper and a swarm of hornets that’s as nasty and memorable as anything in a bigger, better–reviewed horror film, and the movie’s willingness to be genuinely mean gives it a real edge.
“Case 39” is a tense, underrated horror gem that deserves better than it got, and it’s a great pick if you’re ready to start getting into the Halloween spirit. Just don’t wait too long, because it won’t be free on Tubi for much longer.
