New Zealand writer-director James Ashcroft‘s deliciously creepy THE RULE OF JENNY PEN is a psychological horror with dashes of demented satire that feeds off our collective fear of aging, in this very capable two-hander that offers pitch-perfect turns from John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush.

Rush stars as arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen, who suffers a near-fatal stroke that has left 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.

Official Selection Fantastic Fest 2024, Sitges Film Festival 2024 (Winner – Best Actor John Lithgow & Geoffrey Rush)

“The director remains near-merciless in his approach, never shying away from showing his vulnerable characters (and the tormentor played with twisted relish by Lithgow is, ultimately, as unprotected as any of the others) in states of utter abjection.” (New York Times)

“The Rule of Jenny Pen (much admired by Stephen King, incidentally) is unlike other horrors or thrillers in the way it confronts the realistic, even humdrum, fears of ageing.” (New Statesman)

“Satisfyingly sinister and shockingly comedic blitzing of dark humor and palpable dread.” (Film Threat)

“This independently made film from New Zealand is the kind of thing a Hollywood studio wouldn’t go near these days, and it may not be for everyone, but with actors on the level of Lithgow and Rush it is something to behold if not always easy to watch.” (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

“May very well be [John Lithgow’s] creepiest performance since Brian De Palma’s ‘Raising Cain’ — and that’s saying something.” (TheWrap)

Tuesday, March 25
Doors 8:45 pm | Movie 9:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN (James Ashcroft, 2025 / 103 mins / 14A) Confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body, a former Judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child’s puppet to abuse the home’s residents with deadly consequences.

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