The Rule of Jenny Pen Blu Ray Review (Shudder / IFC Films)

The Rule of Jenny Pen is a 2024 horror film co-written, executive produced, and directed by James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark, Pigs, Jigsaw, The Usher, and The Whisper Man). It was co-written and executive produced by Eli Kent (Coming Home in the Dark, Pigs, and Millie Lies Low). It’s based on the short story from Owen Marshall (Coming Home in the Dark). It was produced by Catherine Fitzgerald (Event 16, Sunday, The Orator, Punch, Coming Home in the Dark, and Rain of the Children). It grossed $647,547 worldwide during it’s limited theatrical run. Confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body. A former Judge Stefan Mortensen (played by: Geoffrey Rush from The King’s Speech, Les Misérables, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Green Lantern, Munich, House on Haunted Hill, and Shakespeare in Love) must find a way to stop an elderly psychopath Dave Crealy (played by: John Lithgow from Dexter, Raising Cain, Cliffhanger, Footloose, Pet Sematary, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Shrek franchise) who employs a creepy child’s puppet to abuse and torture all of the home’s residents with deadly consequences!!!! The Rule of Jenny Pen goes to a sub-genre that’s really used, elderly horror. Elder abuse is real and this independent feature focuses on those uncomfortable scenarios. Director James Ashcroft mainly has done shorts before this but I enjoyed full length debut with Coming Home in the Dark. I thought The Rule of Jenny Pen was even better than that movie so he keeps improving with his craft. The script shows a powerful and highly respected Judge that has a major change in his life after he has a stroke. He is forced to a retirement home while he recovers. Lots of mysterious and fatal situations keep going on when no one is watching around there. Skilled veteran actor Geoffrey Rush is fantastic as the grumpy Stefan Mortensen. He doesn’t want to be there and he gives the staff so many problems when he arrives. He figures out that someone is tormenting the others in his new community and he wants to fix these dangerous pranks. The legendary John Lithgow is a amazing as the psychotic Dave Crealy. Lithgow has always been one of all time great villains and it’s no different for this role. He loves to his creepy puppet to embarrass his victims even more. He has the stuff fooled but he’s very evil. The character is nasty and so unlikable that you are rooting for something to finally happen to him. These two top notch performers go head to head for this independent production. The rest of the supporting cast includes Maaka Pohatu (Wellington Paranormal), George Henare (The Dead Lands), Nathaniel Lees (30 Days of Night), Fiona Collins (Meme), Holly Shanahan (Power Rangers franchise), Yvette Parsons (What We Do in the Shadows), Ian Mune (Savage Honeymoon), Irene Wood (Shortland Street), Nick Blake (The Hobbit franchise), Hilary Norris (I Survived a Zombie Holocaust), Anapela Polataivao (Our Flag Means Death), Thomas Sainsbury (Guns Akimbo), and Bruce Phillips (The Lord of the Rings franchise). The Rule of Jenny Pen is more of a slow burn but it’s worth the wait. It takes it’s time to develop and create it’s awkward tension which eventually explodes. The Dave Crealy character is a straight up bully. He takes advantages of people’s issues and his seniority at the home to terrorize most of it’s residents. Revenge is brewing most of the time but it doesn’t actually happen right away. The build up is what it really helps it’s payoff. This psychological thriller faces two creative men against each other in some nasty spots. The acting is phenomenal by it’s two leads, it makes this much better than it probably should be. The Rule of Jenny Pen was a nice surprise, I really haven’t seen anything like it before. It’s currently streaming on Hulu, Shudder, and AMC+ if you want to check it out. This is definitely a unique entry for horror, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Shudder! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer looks great on home video. The Rule of Jenny Pen has a very style and look to it which makes it pop out more when it comes to the visuals. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Audio Descriptive tracks on the disc. It’s not really that type of action packed or loud feature but it has it’s moments during it’s thrills. The score stands out the most for this department. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH and French SDH subtitles. It has the little over 9 minute “Making Of”. It has interviews with James Ashcroft, George Henare, Geoffrey Rush, and John Lithgow. They go over it’s story and concept. They chat about the characters, writing, locations, and overall performances. George Henare actually took the role during the actors strike. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!