The Rule of Jenny Pen

by Mike McGranaghan

We need more horror movies about senior citizens. The Rule of Jenny Pen suggests there are a lot of effective stories to tell in this regard. Why should only young people get to have all the fun? With its heavy psychological factor and frequent creepy imagery, this nifty little chiller might give you a phobia about ending up in a nursing home someday.

Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) is a judge who suffers a stroke in the courtroom and is placed in a rest home. He naively thinks he’ll get out someday, an attitude that causes him to behave in a haughty manner toward the other residents. One resident in particular doesn’t like him: Dave Crealy (John Lithgow), a guy who walks around with a baby doll puppet on his hand, terrorizing everybody else. Stefan refuses to bow down to the guy, leading Dave to up the ante on his efforts to rattle the judge.

The idea of a senior citizen freaking people out with a puppet sounds slightly silly when you think about it. The Rule of Jenny Pen relies on committed performances from its two leads to get around that. Lithgow, who has intermittently embraced an overly broad style of acting in his career, wisely goes for subtlety here – or at least as much subtlety as can be expected from such a deranged character. He conveys the idea that Dave is all kinds of messed-up internally, and that his puppet is a means of acting out severe aggressive impulses. The way he shoves that puppet into seniors’ faces is menacing, as are the shots where we see the cursed thing advancing from Stefan’s point of view.

As Stefan, Rush takes us through a range of emotions. The judge starts off with defiance toward Dave. That gradually gives way to genuine fear, followed by rage. All this while also getting across the man’s stubborn refusal to admit that he’s going to be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. Rush gives the character multiple layers that reveal themselves as the story progresses. It’s among his best work.

We’re used to seeing teenagers and twentysomethings taking on monsters, aliens, and psychopaths. They’re strong and nimble, ready for a fight. Older folks are less so, which automatically puts them in additional peril. That allows for a different form of excitement onscreen. Dave is tall and in relatively good shape, whereas his victims are frail. That imbalance sets you on edge from the start, giving a Darwinian aspect to the story. In a place filled with the sickly, the one relatively healthy resident is able to instill terror.

The Rule of Jenny Pen never quite gets to the heart of Dave’s madness. A clue, regarding pictures on a wall, is given yet not satisfactorily resolved. Strong turns from Lithgow and Rush – along with that eerie doll – keep the film humming, nonetheless. There is no rest in this rest home, just a lot of disturbing mayhem and a few unexpected jolts.

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