The Rule of Jenny Pen, helmed byJames Ashcroft(Coming Home in the Dark), and starringJohn LithgowandGeoffrey Rushin titular roles, has just unveiled its first teasertrailerand things are looking scary, disturbing, and gory! But not in a mere fictional horror kind of way. The movie is about an old age home so not only does it feel real, there appears to be a certain vibe to it that’s rarely seen in cinema. The release date of the film has also been unveiled — the movie will be hittingtheaters all over the US on June 30, 2025.Once the theatrical run is over, the film will make its at-home debut on Shudder at a later date this year. The exact synopsis of the film states:
“Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush) suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow) who secretly terrorizes the home with a sadistic game called “The Rule of Jenny Pen” while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty. What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen’s pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy’s reign of terror.”
Therefore,The Rule of Jenny Penis basically going to be a creepy and suspenseful take on an old age home where Rush’scharacter will be striving to put an end to a sadistic gameplayed by Lithgow’s character, who is certainly not your average old man with dementia, as clear in the trailer. The film will reportedly havea runtime of around 103 minutes, to be precise!
Stephen King Is All Praise for ‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’
While a lot of praise is coming from all directions about how malice, dread, and suspense have been portrayed in the film, the acclaimed directorStephen Kinghas also been upfront about how he feels about the film! According to Stephen,“It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.”
It’s not yet clear how many other prominent cast members are going to be in the film, in addition to Lithgow and Rush. The film is produced byCatherine FitzgeraldandOrlando Stewartand exec-produced by the director, the main actors, as well asEli Kent, Emily Gotto, Nicholas Lazo,andSamuel Zimmerman.The sounds and music for the film are done byJohn Gibson.Ashcroft and Kent have also penned the film for the screen!
The Rule of Jenny Penwill be hitting theaters on June 14, 2025, and will later be available to stream on Shudder. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates!
