The upcoming psychological thriller The Rule of Jenny Pen has just dropped its official trailer, and it’s leaving viewers on edge. Set to release on March 7, the film, directed by James Ashcroft, stars John Lithgow as Dave Crealy, a sadistic resident at a retirement home. Lithgow’s character plays a tyrant who targets Judge Stefan Mortensen, portrayed by Geoffrey Rush. After suffering a debilitating stroke, Mortensen is left partially paralyzed and bedridden, but Crealy’s cruelty knows no bounds. The chilling trailer shows Crealy taunting Mortensen with a dementia doll, setting the stage for a deadly game of mind games and torment.
A Tale of Bullying in the Golden Years
The Rule of Jenny Pen, based on Owen Marshall’s short story, takes a terrifying look at bullying in the later stages of life. In a director’s statement, Ashcroft shared how the film’s premise came from a personal realization about bullying in the lives of older adults. The psychological thriller explores the shocking concept of schoolyard bullying in a retirement home, a place many wouldn’t associate with such cruelty. After a run at Fantastic Fest, the film is slated for a theatrical release before hitting streaming platform Shudder.
Co-written by Ashcroft and Eli Kent, this dark genre film features powerful performances by Lithgow and Rush. Produced by Catherine Fitzgerald and Orlando Stewart, The Rule of Jenny Pen is set to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, questioning the dangers that come with aging.