The Rule of Jenny Pen (2025) is directed by James Ashcroft, who wrote the script alongside Eli Kent. It stars Geoffrey Rush, John Lithgow, Nathaniel Lees, Anapela Polataivao, Thomas Sainsbury, Holly Shanahan, George Henare, Ian Mune, Maaka Pohatu, Bruce Phillips, Irene Wood, Yvette Parsons, and Hilary Norris. Based on the short story by Owen Marshall, the film follows Stefan Mortensen (Rush), an elderly New Zealand judge who’s forced to rehabilitate at a low-budget nursing home after suffering a severe stroke. Unknown to the staff, Stefan and others find themselves terrorized by the facility’s most physically capable resident, Dave Crealy, a psychopath who uses a puppet named Jenny Pen as his choice tool of torture. While Crealy continues his reign of terror unchecked, Stefan finds himself defenseless as his condition slowly worsens. With little other than his wits at his disposal, Stefan is forced to rally Crealy’s various disheartened victims in the hope that he can inspire them to stand up (maybe not literally) and fight. 

   Featuring two of Hollywood’s best senior actors, Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow, it’s no surprise that the performances here are top-notch. Rush is perfect as the stereotypical grumpy old man character, but the script makes sure to place the audience directly in his shoes. He’s a judge who goes from being all-powerful in the courtroom to being utterly powerless in a place that won’t even believe his claims of abuse. He may have a terrible attitude throughout, but it’s totally justified when considering how little respect he’s given. He’s the rare kind of character who’s rude and angry from beginning to end, but he never becomes unpleasant because his anger seems like the only sane reaction to what’s going on. On top of this, Rush gives an impressive physical performance that sees his character slowly succumb to the nerve damage caused by his stroke.

As for John Lithgow as Dave Crealy, it may just be my favorite performance he’s ever given. Lithgow’s delivery here is even more chilling than his iconic role as The Trinity Killer in Dexter (2006-2013), but Dave is also a character who stands apart from most movie serial killers. He’s a character who adopts evil tendencies much later in life – a detail that highlights the chilling idea that societal and/or legislative pressures are sometimes the only things stopping certain people from acting immorally. Crealy is motivated simply by the fact that he wants “experiences” (murder), but what makes him so scary is that he has nothing to lose. What’s going to happen if he gets caught? Death? Who cares? He’s pretty much dying anyway. There’s also the detail that his victims are often powerless to defend themselves. Crealy is aware of this and uses it as an opportunity to toy with them endlessly. It creates some great tension in the sense that the characters are never entirely free from Dave and Jenny’s wrath at any given moment. 

Although the movie is often a bit too abstract for my liking, it stays grounded enough to work as a satisfying, straightforward story. Some audiences may be disappointed to find that the film often prioritizes tension and tone over violence and gore, but it ultimately works for this kind of “cat & mouse” storytelling. The feeling of terror grows consistently from beginning to end, and although the ending arrives unexpectedly fast, it ultimately works because it succeeds in bringing the various character arcs full circle. 

Some audiences will inevitably take issue with the film’s depiction of the elderly, who are often portrayed as brain-dead and/or cowardly, but I think those people are missing the point. Stefan’s struggles throughout the film make it very apparent that there’s a stark difference between how we perceive the elderly and how they actually are. Our perception often causes us to lump the elderly into one group and assume they all struggle with the same ailments or desire the same kinds/levels of care. These are individuals with unique needs and desires. That doesn’t go away simply by growing old. 

Overall, this is easily one of the more original horror concepts I’ve seen in a long time, and it’s anchored by masterful performances from its two leads. Other than a few needlessly abstract touches and the occasional tonal misstep, it’s a dynamite script that provides some of the most juicy “battle of wills” sequences in the past couple of years. If you’re a horror fan, check it out. At the very least, you’ll love the fact that someone finally set a horror film in a nursing home. You might not love it, but there’s definitely nothing quite like it. B+