Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A family-services social worker (Renée Zellweger) fights to save a little girl with a haunted past, only to find out that this mysterious new case turns into a nightmare she may never survive.

Originally made in 2007, this stinker didn't hit American theaters until 2010, and for good reason. To call the screenplay unoriginal would be an insult to other unoriginal screenplays—yes, it's that bad. Its only saving grace is the cast, which also includes Bradley Cooper and Ian McShane, who along with Zellweger do their best to take the cliché-laden script and attempt to make it suspenseful.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Pallid flesh tones
• Soft cinematography
• Solid black levels
• Saturated colors

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Dialog-intensive front-heavy soundtrack
• Intense LFE, especially during the thunderstorm
• Somewhat creepy score
• Intelligible dialog

I generally have a more critical eye when watching a movie that I'm not enjoying, and that's certainly the case here. The video transfer is much softer than I'm used to, especially on longer shots, but the audio track is engaging and helps to ratchet up what little tension is created by the sub-par screenplay.

Bonus Materials

• Filed Under "Evil": Inside Case 39 featurette
• Turning Up the Heat on the Chill Factor featurette
• Inside the Hornet's Nest featurette
• Playing with Fire featurette
• Deleted scenes

If you've ever seen a possessed-child film, then you've seen this already. It breaks no new ground on the subject and rips off virtually every cheesy scare tactic ever used in the past. The A/V presentation is adequate, but this is the perfect candidate for streaming via Netflix since it won't cost you any money other than your monthly subscription fee.

Release Date: January 4, 2011
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 3/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics