A Review: The Rule of Jenny Pen

New to Shudder this weekend comes 2024’s The Rule of Jenny Pen, out of New Zealand, starring Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow (who also executive produced). It’s safe to say that from a psychological horror standpoint, Jenny Pen stands out as one of the best of the year, due in large part to some truly excellent performances, including Lithgow at his most creepy and maliciously unhinged.

Based on a short story by Owen Marshall, the film takes place in a care center for the elderly where many patients are in their final days, mostly forgotten, and who now find themselves under the menacing rule of a hand puppet named Jenny Pen. Running parallel to the fictitious plot is the very real issue of elder abuse, and a sad portrait of isolation and loneliness in the later stages of dementia and Alzheimer's.

Rush plays the part of Stefan, a well respected (yet egocentric) judge who recently suffered a debilitating stroke, while Lithgow owns the role of the demented and cruel Dave Crealy, another resident at the care facility, with a mysterious past. As the story unfolds and the tension builds, director James Ashcroft does a very good job presenting the mundane elements, as well as the mental and cognitive decline of the characters. Though only a puppet, Jenny begins to take on a dangerous larger than life persona, and along with Crealy, are notable horror icons.

A battle of will ensues with Stefan, confined to a wheelchair, clinging to intellectualism and order, while Dave bullies all of the residents and brings chaos wherever he goes. There aren’t many “nursing home horror movies” to compare this too, but I think the closest would come with elements of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, as well as the final quarter of The Green Mile novel. Not to be left out, we also can’t forget about ol’ Bubba Ho-Tep!

The horror of Jenny Pen comes from the very real topics of elder neglect and abuse of the disabled, and ultimately facing our own frailty and mortality. It is a story of those people lost between the cracks, with no close friends or family, and reminds me of George A. Romero’s “lost film”, The Amusement Park in its depiction of the elderly. It shows that, sadly, the bullies in life don’t always end after our playground and school years, and can follow us to old age, at our weakest and most vulnerable point. There is no supernatural element at play here, but only human cruelty.

Yet, it’s not all bleak and hopeless, there are still themes of courage, redemption, morality, and good prevailing over evil. With some memorable performances and great direction, The Rule of Jenny Pen stands out as one of the best of 2025 so far, particularly in terms of psychological thrillers. This will probably find a place in my top 25 horror films of the year, but only time will tell. Currently available on Shudder and VOD.

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Michael A. Dyer is the host of the Horror to Culture podcast, vidcast, and website.