Geoffrey Rush must battle and save the residents of a nursing home from the evil intentions of John Lithgow and his creepy puppet, in this staggering thriller….

Ignore the marketing of one film poster that suggests that a puppet named Jenny Pen is the main evil antagonist, set out to rival the likes of Chucky, a misleading symbol for those expecting something similar and settle on this main selling point to get people watching.

Imagine a world where Dexter Morgan never set eyes on Arthur Mitchell and the Trinity Killer was left alone to carry on his murderous killing spree, only to eventually end up in a nursing home, where his evil intentions carried on, with a nightly ritual of abuse to those who lived there. Yes, this is where we are with The Rule of Jenny Pen, a disturbing thriller from director James Ashcroft that will no doubt be a contender for one of the best horror/thrillers of 2025.

A gruelling, psychological battle of wits commences between a judge Stefan (Geoffery Rush) who arrives at a nursing home, having suffered a stroke and heads into a collision course with long time resident Dave (John Lithgow), who has the rule of the place and strikes fear into those currently there. Walking around with a baby doll puppet on one hand, eyes eerily missing, Dave stalks the corridors at night, abusing those sleeping, basically shoving the dolls head in their faces and asking the question “who rules?”. No one speaks up, the workers oblivious to his actions, but Stefan ruins his sick world, by refusing to play the game – let the battle begin!

Every good horror as not just good scares but also makes those who watch feel uncomfortable and helpless and there are scenes here that you can not help but find hard to shake those emotions. The film is perfect as we need to root for Stefan, despite him being very unlikeable. His opening scene as a Judge clearly shows the kind of person he is, but in this world where darkness is aplenty, we sometimes need an unlikely hero, Stefan is rude to those around him and to the staff, but the simple fact is that in the same breathing space, there is a guy who is clearly, much worse and we need Stefan to do something.

Having played the best nemesis in DEXTER, its a total and utter joy to see John Lithgow go all evil again. Clearly relishing playing yet another character who we can’t take our eyes off. Sadistic and demented, Dave treats the home like its his own playground, mouthing off racist gags, taking pleasure in using urine as a weapon and of course that doll on his hand, just adds to the creep value.

As Stefan’s health deteriorates, the battle continues, both refusing to battle down and while it can become quite repetitive at times, you can’t escape the fact that this is an uncomfortable watch, a simple horrific tale where even taking a simple bath can become a nightmare, or as in one particular scene, having a cigarette and alcohol at the same time, can cause quite an inferno.

Comparisons to Whatever Happened to Baby Jane will be made, but The Rule of Jenny Pen can comfortably stand on its own two feet as one of the most compelling watches of 2025….

4 HATCHETS OUT OF 5