The Rule of Jenny Pen Review
Old Folks, New Nightmares
If you thought retirement homes were just a place for lukewarm soup and passive-aggressive bingo games, The Rule of Jenny Pen is here to prove you very wrong - it takes the “creepy doll” horror trope and shoves it straight into a care home, where the real horror isn’t just supernatural—it's also having to eat dinner at 4 PM.
This slow-burning chiller is a mix of psychological horror and “Oh God, please don’t let me end up in one of these places” existential dread, starring the always-excellent Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow. And, of course, a sinister puppet named Jenny Pen, who looks like she crawled straight out of a Goosebumps fever dream.
A Puppet Masterpiece?
Now, let’s talk about the real star of the show: Jenny Pen. This is no Chucky-style slasher, nor is Jenny cracking jokes like Annabelle’s creepier cousin. Instead, she just sits there, looking menacing, as the people around her start losing their minds. And honestly? That’s worse.
The horror here isn’t about jump scares—it’s about the slow, suffocating realization that something is deeply, deeply wrong. Think Hereditary, but instead of family trauma, it’s just the horrifying thought of being trapped in a place where your biggest daily decision is “Beef or fish?”
Acting Royalty in a Haunted Retirement Home
Geoffrey Rush carries the film with the kind of performance that makes you wish more horror movies cast actual legends. His Leonard is smart, cynical, and fully aware that something weird is happening—but he’s also old, and nobody believes him because, well, old people say weird stuff all the time.
Meanwhile, John Lithgow is having the time of his sinister life, balancing his role between charming and straight-up terrifying. He’s like if Dr. Loomis from Halloween had decided that Michael Myers should be allowed to run the asylum.
The supporting cast of elderly residents—each of whom seems to know something about Jenny Pen but won’t say it out loud—adds layers to the film’s eerie, slow-burn storytelling. Every hushed whisper and nervous glance makes it clear: these people know something, and they do NOT want to talk about it.
Final Thoughts: Retirement Has Never Been Scarier
The Rule of Jenny Pen is an eerie, slow-burning horror film that lingers in your brain like that weird noise you swear you heard at 3 AM. It’s creepy, unsettling, and packed with phenomenal performances that elevate it beyond your typical haunted object movie.
If you love psychological horror, Hereditary-style dread, or just want a reason to never put your parents in a retirement home, this is a must-watch. But be warned—after this film, even the sight of an innocent-looking wooden puppet might have you seriously reconsidering your life choices.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(Four stars – because Jenny Pen is watching, and I don’t want to make her mad.)
