Reel Review: The Rule of Jenny Pen

A powerhouse performance from John Lithgow anchors this terrifying tale of aging, abuse, victimization, and the devastating march of time.

Director James Ashcroft’s terrifying new horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen (based on a short story of the same name by New Zealand author Owen Marshall) begins with Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) presiding over a case in New Zealand when he becomes distracted by a bug crawling across his desk. He quickly kills the bug, gives a verbal lashing to a sexual predator, then has a stroke.

After getting a quick look at Stefan in his power, The Rule of Jenny Pen transports the audience to where the bulk of the story takes place: Royal Pine Mews, a care home where Stefan is partially paralyzed and using a wheelchair. Death pops in yet again as he attempts to settle in: He sees a fellow resident, mindlessly spilling alcohol and smoking, light himself on fire.

One might think seeing someone burned to death might be the most shocking event in a film, but this merely sets the tone.

The thick despair of Royal Pine Mews seeps into every scene. Many of the residents–including Stefan himself–are in denial about how long their stays will be. Many of them cannot accept that there’s no getting “better” (who could?), while other residents repeatedly talk about their family coming to visit, even when their loved ones seem to have all but abandoned them.

Stefan’s roommate in the care home is Tony Garfield (George Henare), a Māori man who is a former professional athlete. On the surface, Tony has many things that Stefan is missing: a loving family who checks in on him and sends presents, a certain amount of acclaim, and much more physical mobility. Very quickly, though, Stefan learns there’s no reason to be envious of his roommate.

The Royal Pine Mews residents are being terrorized by Dave Crealy (John Lithgow).

Dave is almost never without the eponymous Jenny Pen, an eyeless baby doll puppet he wears on his hand.

The staff views him as a harmless old man using the doll to help his dementia, but Dave has access to every part of the care home, and he uses this to his advantage. He sneaks into Tony and Stefan’s room, where he taunts them with racist jokes, destroys their precious mementos, and physically assaults them.

While most of the residents (including Tony) have stopped fighting back out of fear, Stefan refuses to bend to Dave’s abuse. Stefan is used to having the upper hand after his time on the bench, and he is confident that he’ll be able to best Dave, too. Stefan believes in justice, but he’s at a physical disadvantage (aside from asthma, Dave seems to be in excellent shape)–and as he continues to struggle with the effects of the stroke, he also finds himself losing time and having other cognitive issues.

The people who live at Royal Pine Mews are always at the mercy of time.

Throughout their day, an automated voice announces the time at certain intervals. In a way, these time announcements seem as cruel as anything Dave inflicts upon them. They serve as reminders of how little they have to do with their time, and they only make it clearer that the residents are stuck in an endless loop of time. With few visitors or events to break up their days, they are waiting around to die.

And while they’re waiting, they must contend with Dave and his unique brand of torture.

John Lithgow has been frightening before, but his role in The Rule of Jenny Pen is a new level of horror.

The amount of personalized cruelty he brings to every interaction with a fellow resident is shocking and difficult to watch, and this is especially so due to Lithgow’s tremendous performance. He throws his entire self into portraying this bully, from how intensely he wields Jenny Pen to how grotesquely he chews his food.

Ashcroft—named Best Director at Fantastic Fest earlier this year—expertly layers the added fears of Dave’s abuse onto the indignities and helplessness we all face as we age. While someone like Dave is (hopefully) very rare, the loss of autonomy and mental acuity is something almost everyone must endure if they have a long life.

The squished bug and the immolated man aren’t the only deaths in The Rule of Jenny Pen.

As time creeps on in Royal Pine Mews, Stefan and Tony must decide whether it’s worse to live in fear or to risk standing up to an abuser.