Praised by Stephen King as “one of the best movies I’ve seen this year,” The Rule of Jenny Pen will be released on Blu-ray on July 8.
John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush star in the New Zealand psychological horror film, currently streaming on Shudder.
Special Features:
- Behind the Scenes of The Rule of Jenny Pen
Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush) suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow), who secretly terrorizes the home with a sadistic game called The Rule of Jenny Pen while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty.
What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen’s pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy’s reign of terror.
James Ashcroft directs from a script he co-wrote with Eli Kent, based on the short story of the same name by Owen Marshall. The trio previously collaborated on Coming Home in the Dark.
George Henare, Nathaniel Lees, Thomas Sainbury, and Ian Mune round out the cast.
Matt Donato wrote in his review, “The Rule of Jenny Pen showcases behind-the-camera command, excellent performances, and that horror has no age limit. Geoffrey Rush plays wounded and stubborn, while John Lithgow gives himself to the mocking malevolence of a nasty hand puppet. It’s a methodical brand of fearfulness that isn’t about jump scares or unnatural forces, but that’s the point.”
