Intensity 🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Directed by James Ashcroft
Written by Eli Kent, James Ashcroft, and Owen Marshall
Judge Stefan Mortensen suffers a stroke during a trial and is sent to a nursing home to recover. As the wheelchair-bound judge struggles with his physical ailments, he encounters Dave Crealy, a psychopathic resident who bullies all of the other residents with a puppet-clad fist. Stefan clings to reason and rules but is overwhelmed by Dave’s chaotic presence and has become the focus of the madman’s rage. Two great actors, Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow, bring their A-games to this elder-care thriller.
This movie cuts close to home for me. I have a father in a Nursing home, and I often worry about the care that he is receiving. I recently received word that a large portion of the nursing staff quit or were laid off at his home, causing me to fret about his level of care. This movie made my stomach turn, as it presented my nightmare situation. I have had a fascination with elder horror as my parents have shifted into the geriatric realm, and as I can see my future in their conditions. The Rule of Jenny Pen sticks a knife into all of my fears of nursing homes.
These are the most fragile people. Leaving the nursing home usually comes in the form of dying in bed. Dementia, alzheimers, strokes, and a myriad of conditions make this population not only physically frail but mentally brittle as well. Into this mix, put an out-of-control resident who is smart enough to manipulate the overworked and understaffed crew, just to be cruel and greedy. Unlike grade school, you can’t run home to avoid the bullies. You live with the bullies.
The Cast of The Rule of Jenny Pen
- Geoffrey Rush plays the honorable Stefan Mortenson, an elderly judge who has checked into Royal Pine Mews to recover from a stroke, and finds himself trapped in the nursing home that should be a refuge for recovery.
- John Lithgow plays Dave Creely, a sadistic resident of Royal Pine Mews, who by day appears to be a bumbling clown, but by night is a sociopathic bully. He uses his hand puppet, Jenny Pen, as a psychological torture device.
- George Henare plays Tony Garfield, a proud former rugby player. He is Stefan’s bunkmate and appreciates the simpler things in life.
- Hilary Norris plays Eunice Joyce, a resident suffering from dementia who believes she is only at the home for a short while until her family returns from vacation.
- Holly Shanahan plays Madeline Shepard, the administrator of Royal Pine Mews.
A Synopsis of The Rule of Jenny Pen
While rendering a judgment to close a trial, Judge Stefan Morensen suffers a stroke on the bench. Midway through upbraiding the successful plaintiff, he collapses to the floor. When we next see Stefan, he is confined to a wheelchair and now resides in the Royal Pine Mews nursing home. He believes that this is a temporary condition and expects to be back to normal soon. Unfortunately for him, there is a general lack of attention by the attending nursing staff at this facility. He watches helplessly as one of the other residents he is conversing with in the courtyard accidentally lights himself on fire with a cigarette and a flask of booze. There was no staff watching them, and this is a harbinger of things to come.
Stefan has been placed in a double-occupancy bedroom with Tony. He hates this arrangement, but due to bad investments, this is all he can afford. Tony is a nice man, but the arrogant Stefan thinks Tony is too simple for his attention. Life turns dramatically worse when Stefan attracts the notice of Dave Creely, a cackling lunatic with an ever-present hand puppet named Jenny Pen. He is far more calculating than anyone in the building recognizes. Stefan stands up for himself and for the others in the home, reprimanding and insulting Creely. Bad move, Stefan.
Dave used to be a janitor for Royal Pine Mews, and he literally still has all the keys. Unlike many of the other residents, Dave is physically mobile. He freely roams the halls at night, entering the rooms of the other residents. He assaults Tony in the middle of the night, forcing Stefan to watch. Stefan cries for help, clicking the night button, only to realize that Dave has unplugged it. When Stefan complains to Madeline, Tony refuses to confirm the night’s events, making Stefan appear delusional. This only encourages Dave, ramping up his malicious activities against Stefan and all of the residents in the home. The sad thing about a nursing home: people die of natural causes all the time, and no one will suspect foul play, and Dave knows it.
EVALUATION
This is a showcase of acting in a horror movie. Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar for Best Actor (Shine), and the Academy nominated him three other times. The Academy nominated Lithgow for two Oscars as well. For these two legendary thespians to be in a small independent horror movie is unprecedented. There is genuine gravitas in the performances here.
Rush is so convincing as the arrogant yet feeble judge. Stefan is a complex character, full of frustration and bitterness, yet he has a core of justice and maintains a righteous dignity that keeps him going. You can be forgiven if you forget how menacing Lithgow can be, as he is most well known for his comedic roles, but he’s a big man, and he is absolutely menacing in this role. You want crazy? John Lithgow delivers crazy. To my ear, he performs a passable Kiwi accent.
George Henare is, for most, an unknown actor, but he is wonderful as the proud Tony. He’s the everyman. A former athletic star, who turns turtle to avoid losing face. He fears his family will see him as fragile, so he refuses to reach out to those who could advocate for him. Seeing Tony and Stefan galvanize their courage to face Dave is uplifting.
The glaring weak spot in the film is the raw frustration of the inattentive nursing home staff. How do they maintain a license? Too many “accidents” to go unnoticed. They really should have security cameras, at least in the hallways. How Dave has managed to run his reign of terror is unforgivable for a place like this. But therein lies the horror. Do you have a complaint? You must be suffering from dementia or delusions. The film does cleverly show that Stefan is beginning to break down mentally, though. His mind is mostly sharp, but the testing shows… he’s slipping.
This film will be one of the featured selections in our upcoming Episode 205 “Mean Horror” podcast, as it is one of the most powerful bullying films of recent memory.
Concluding Thoughts
A round of applause for the New Zealand Film Commission for helping to produce this film. Both Australia and New Zealand do an admirable job supporting films of all types, and to have them back horror productions is so refreshing. Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow both This film debuted at Fantastic Fest in Austin. The Rule of Jenny Pen ran on the festival circuit for a brief stint before being picked up by Shudder. It is 100% worth your attention if you have a Shudder account.
Come for the stellar acting, and stay for the anxiety-filled thrills right up to the terrific conclusion to the film. Also, keep an eye on the cat, who is a harbinger of death! (The residents keep clear of the kitty.) James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, and Owen Marshall also collaborated on a previous road-trip horror film, Coming Home in the Dark, which I now have to check out. This Kiwi trio impressed me quite a bit.
The MPAA gave The Rule of Jenny Pen an R rating for violent content, including sexual assault and some language. Shudder is streaming this film on its platform.
Review by Eric Li
