Who Rules? The Giant Baby: 'The Rule of Jenny Pen' (2025) Review

2025 horror hasn't had any major hits for me so far. I have been waiting for that one film that I can't quite stop thinking about and there really hasn't been one-- until now. The Rule of Jenny Penn, directed by James Ashcroft, is about a former judge (Geoffrey Rush) who has been sent to a secluded rest home after having a stroke. Once there, he is focused on stopping an elderly psychopath (John Lithgow) from abusing and murdering the other residents. If that synopsis alone doesn't get you invested, Lithgow is a villain and he is immaculate.

Judge Mortensen is a man of justice. The film opens with him passing out a sentence to a serial rapist. He doesn't hold back when telling him just how sickening what he has done is. And not just him, but the mother for allowing her daughter to be victimized-- all while he's having a stroke.  The judge doesn't just accept things as his new normal. As he tells his new roommate, Sonny (Nathaniel Lees), him being there is temporary. He soon realizes that this place is not safe for him or anyone else. His first interaction with a fellow resident ends with him being engulfed in flames. As the judge screams for help, no one comes to their rescue-- a heavy theme throughout. And as someone who once worked in a residential home for Alzheimer's patients, this film doesn't hold back on the possible reality that these people could face. 

The judge soon meets another resident, one who isn't as he seems to the staff. And he walks around with a doll made puppet with no eyes on his hand and he calls her Jenny Pen. Jenny Pen rules, as Dave terrorizes the residents, and sometimes, he murders them. The judge doesn't want to become his next victim so he does everything he can to either get the staff to do something about it (spoiler alert: they don't) or take him down himself. 

The Rule of Jenny Pen reminds me what I love about independent horror. It pushes the boundaries and allows for filmmakers like Ashcroft to be creative and original. This movie may seem like one thing, but it is something entirely different. There are moments where I have to look away and others that made me nauseous. Speaking of which, trigger warning! There is a lot of elderly abuse and I do wish there was just a little less of that. And there is one scene I could have done without completely. There are some scenes where you can tell that Ashcroft was having fun and really going for it. I mean, there is a giant doll baby in here at one point.

The film is set in New Zealand and I can appreciate how Ashcroft leans into that with the cast, and Sonny's character, a former rugby player. When Sonny is ready to face Dave head on, he performs a native haka war cry in front of him and the other residents. He also shares what it's like to no longer be the man he wants to be for his children and his grandchildren, which serves as an overarching theme of the film. We witness these characters, even the supporting ones, deal with the fact that not only are they confined in this home, but in their bodies and there isn't anything they can do about it. 

There isn't a lot of buzz around this one quite yet but I can guarantee once it's streaming on Shudder, people will be talking about it nonstop. I love to see indie horror do well, and this is one that I am rooting for. 

Who rules? Jenn Pen.