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Imagine a horror film that explores themes of elder abuse and stars John Lithgow as an elderly bully in a New Zealand elder care facility.  Then imagine that John Lithgow uses and/or is used by a plastic baby doll that’s been fashioned into a crude puppet, the butt of which John Lithgow forces old people to lick as he rules nocturnally.

That’s The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024), which stars Lithgow as he squares off against Geoffrey Rush.  Rush portrays a proud, ornery judge recovering from a stroke, and a man who will go to the breaking point before he kisses a puppet’s ass.

I was not sure what to expect when I saw this flick pop up on Shudder, but I saw a weird doll and John Lithgow and knew it was worth watching.  It turns out that you can judge a flick by its cover, and I really enjoyed this terrifying flick.

The judge, Stefan Mortensen, is awesome:  he’s a no-nonsense type with a quick wit and a willingness to put people into their place.  Naturally, he does not exactly endear himself to the staff at the assisted care facility, who tend to think his various outbursts are the result of a slipping mind, not because he is trying to resist a real evil.  His roommate is a former rugby player, well-liked and -regarded, with a loving family who FaceTimes him and sends him little letters and such regularly.

At one point, John Lithgow threatens to remove the rugby player’s catheter unless the judge will bow to Jenny Pen, but the judge refuses, and Lithgow backs down.  That encounter emboldens both.

I don’t want to give away too much more, but it’s a great movie.  The real horror is in the vulnerability of aging, and how the residents slip into a second childhood (complete with bullies!).  As a film, The Rule of Jenny Pen is terrifying on two fronts:  1.) the wicked machinations of John Lithgow and 2.) the horrifying consequences of old age.

We’ve only got one shot at this life, so we might as well make the most of it—and stand up to the bullies.