the story be center around a psychologist ( robert de niro ) and his daughter ( dakota fanning ) . they move over to a house by the countryside when de niro wife be mysteriously murder . there emily ( dakota famming ) make a new mysterious friend name charlie . de niro be initially happy to find her make new friend but this slowly turn to dread a he see his own daughter turn against him and prefer to stay with charlie himself . add to that that he do not get to ever meet the mysterious charlie . the scene turn ugly when charlie start kill people . a thriller to boot with the ultimate climax be find out who charlie really be .