Social worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) fosters a ten-year-old girl she seemingly saves from atrocious child abuse. But when Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland) begins showing her true demonic colours and causes Jenkins's friends to die in horrific ways, the social worker realises the parents were acting in self-defence. While the viewer will remain one step ahead of the story at all times, director Christian Alvart (Antibodies) manages to keep the emotionally charged events moving at a fair clip to gloss over the mounting credibility problems. Loaded with startling imagery and inventive deaths (the standout is a hornet infestation nightmare), it's still the sneaky left-field shocks with which Alvart punctuates the increasingly action-orientated narrative that provide the most effective jolts. Zellweger does stunned bewilderment well, but it's Tideland star Ferland who truly shines as the manipulative fiend hiding behind wide-eyed, butter-wouldn't-melt innocence.

In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins believes she has seen it all, until she meets 10-year-old Lilith and the girl's cruel parents. Emily's worst fears are confirmed when the parents try to harm the child, and so Emily assumes custody of Lilith while she looks for a foster family. However, Emily soon finds that dark forces surround the seemingly innocent girl, and the more she tries to protect Lilith, the more horrors she encounters.