Re-opening the file on this evil kiddie chiller.
Apart from the amazing success of Crazy Rich Asians, the summer movie season is ending with the softest of whimpers this year. This is especially true when it comes to the horror/thriller offerings of the past month. Slender Man was barely noticed (despite its high profile background), and by and large people have already forgotten about The Meg. The same fate seems in store for this weekend’s The Little Stranger, one of the last studio releases of the season.
Looking to scratch that period gothic horror itch, The Little Stranger stars Domhnall Gleeson as a doctor who is called to a decaying mansion where he spent his childhood years in order to investigate strange occurrences surrounding a mysterious childlike presence. If the plot sounds familiar, it’s because a handful of titles have explored the particular premise over the years, including 2010’s Case 39.
In Case 39, Renee Zellweger stars as Emily Jenkins, a harried social worker with more on her plate than she can handle. Reluctantly, Emily accepts a new case from her boss (Adrian Lester) detailing the plight of Lilly (Jodelle Ferland), a 10-year-old suspected of being abused by her parents (Callum Keith Rennie and Kerry O’Malley). When Emily bursts into the family’s home to see the couple trying to burn Lilly alive, she intervenes and is eventually granted temporary custody of the girl, intending to make a good life for her. Yet when Emily begins to experience supernatural visions and the people in her life begin to die under horrific circumstances, she begins to wonder of there’s something sinister about Lilly.
If Case 39 has been altogether discarded or ignored by genre fans, it’s probably because on the surface it brings nothing new to the horror table in terms of story. Yet what it offers up in spades is the kind of flair and atmosphere which comprises true high quality level horror. Director Christian Alvart paints his movie in a color scheme which falls somewhere between crushed masculine and muted earth tones, giving an elevated (and slightly off-center) look and feel to the world of Case 39. The same is true for the film’s score, which manages to be ethereal and dreamlike even in the more intense moments. But it’s the showstopping sequences that horror fans lap up, which Case 39 proves to be never short on. The initial scene early on between Lilly and her parents is shocking in its own right, giving off an early Wes Craven feel, while another scene in an plunging elevator between Lilly and Emily in which the former maniacally shouts: “Why Emily?” over and over as the latter screams and holds on to dear life, is appropriately maddening. The film also casts Bradley Cooper and Ian McShane as a child counselor/love interest and police detective, respectively before sending them on their way in death scenes which echo their greatest fears. Cooper’s demise is especially fun to watch as a swarm of hornets descend upon him in a bathroom via his eyes and ears, leading to a death that’s both unnerving and electric.
Every horror film is about something at the end of the day, serving up real life commentary deftly hidden amongst all the scares. In the instance of Case 39, it’s the telling tribute to the life of a child services worker. Emily is painted as someone with no social life who spends her days and nights drowning in work, trying to give her all to every child who passes through her desk. Fueled by her own neglectful childhood, Emily signifies the tireless efforts made by legions of underpaid men and women who continuously give their lives to children who need it. The emotional struggle that such a world instigates, particularly in having to let children go after doing everything possible to help them, is amplified by the movie’s depiction of a crowded and slow-moving system that inevitably does just as much harm as it does good. Case 39 deserves credit for the way it blends both movie world fright and the real life horrors of traumatic children in dire need of care and treatment. In one particular sequence involving another one of Emily’s cases, a young boy is shown brutally murdering his parents in their sleep. While the act happens as a result of Lilly’s “influence,” such examples of child violence are not completely unheard of in the real world and the moment provides a very accurate depiction of what social workers such as Emily have to face.
Though she may be a movie star taking her turn at the horror game, Zellweger makes for a decent genre heroine. The actress uses her relatability and curious disposition to great effect, giving a credible fear-filled performance. She’s almost upstaged however by Ferland, who offers up a delightfully creepy turn as the child with an explainable power, carrying innocence and evil side by side. Finally, even though Cooper and McShane may only exist so their characters can enjoy spectacular deaths, both actors give their all, slightly enhancing the merits of Case 39 in the process.
Like many of Zellweger’s solo post-Bridget Jones vehicles, Case 39 failed to connect with either critics or audiences, both of whom had already begun to turn their back on the actress. Not helping the film’s case was the fact that the release date had been shifted numerous times. Three years after filming had ended, Case 39 was given a release in a number of foreign markets in 2009 before being unceremoniously dumped into American theaters a year later in October 2010, where it swiftly bombed.
If I haven’t delved too much into the mechanics of Case 39’s plot, it’s because they’re essentially unimportant. The movie doesn’t ever explore the genesis of Lilly’s condition, a fact which becomes easily forgiven as the movie goes on. In a way the same can be said for the movie’s existence as a pure star vehicle, and it’s half-hearted comment on the dangers of parents giving in to their child’s tantrums. Still, Case 39’s love of horror stylings and it’s skill at using them to worthwhile effect, gives a well-worn setup fresh terrifying life.
