The Rule of Jenny Pen
IFC Films | Release Date: March 7, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Film ThreatKent HillMar 7, 2025
John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush deliver us a mighty duel, as well as a masterclass in character acting in James Ashcroft’s The Rule of Jenny Pen. Read full review
91
Original-CinThom ErnstMar 6, 2025
The Rule of Jenny Pen is a dark and deeply unsettling film. Lithgow is unhinged and Rush is the perfect foil to attempt to bring him down. Read full review
85
The Daily BeastNick SchagerMar 4, 2025
True cinema is John Lithgow terrorizing Geoffrey Rush in a nursing home with his creepy hand puppet. Read full review
84
Paste MagazineJim VorelMar 10, 2025
The new feature, debuting on Shudder today, delivers no more and no less than what it promises: A deeply creepy, ultimately engrossing battle of wills between two phenomenal lead performers. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMatthew JacksonMar 5, 2025
The Rule Of Jenny Pen‘s willingness to constantly challenge its audience with shadows and hints rather than some kind of outright horror mythos is one of its great strengths, and Rush embodies that with intense, compelling control. Read full review
81
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiMar 8, 2025
May very well be [Lithgow's] creepiest performance since Brian De Palma’s “Raising Cain” — and that’s saying something. Read full review
80
Little White LiesBillie WalkerMar 17, 2025
The Rule of Jenny Pen offers a horrifying hypothetical: what if your final years were spent trapped with a racist bully? Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMar 12, 2025
Film-maker James Ashcroft has created a scary and intimately upsetting psychological horror based on a story by New Zealand author Owen Marshall set in a care home, a film whose coolly maintained claustrophobic mood and bravura performances make up for the slight narrative blurring towards the end. Read full review
80
Screen RantGrant HermannsMar 5, 2025
While the movie starts off on a pretty straightforward note, one of the things that took me by surprise was just how often I was left guessing how the story was going to play out. Read full review
70
IGNNoel MurrayMar 27, 2025
Although this psychological thriller can be uncomfortable to watch at times, the performances – combined with the disturbing puppet imagery – bring a lot of life and imagination to a story about a petty dictator and an unlikely rebel. Read full review
70
ColliderJeff EwingMar 7, 2025
The Rule of Jenny Pen has a lot going for it. Lithgow and Rush pull off strong performances, the escalation of tension is well-developed regarding the scenes taken as a whole, and the central conceit of the doll is used to strong effect. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMar 6, 2025
The director remains near-merciless in his approach, never shying away from showing his vulnerable characters (and the tormentor played with twisted relish by Lithgow is, ultimately, as unprotected as any of the others) in states of utter abjection. Read full review
67
IndieWireAlison ForemanMar 5, 2025
What begins as an atypical use of two beloved actors gets more messy than complex in The Rule of Jenny Pen. And yet, the undaunted director, Ashcroft, approaches his vision with palpable conviction. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comKatie RifeMar 4, 2025
It could hit harder, however, were its impact not diluted by the overly long runtime and uneven tone. For a movie that undercuts itself for its own amusement, however, intermittently successful is pretty good. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithMar 9, 2025
The film is at its best in the way it keeps building the stakes of the character clash, thanks in large part to the virtuosity of the two lead actors. Read full review
60
ABC NewsPeter TraversMar 7, 2025
This psychological thriller about a demonic hand puppet only works in fits and starts. But watching virtuoso actors John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush let their freak flags fly as nursing home patients in a fight to the death is a blast of fun and fright to make you squirm. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeMar 4, 2025
The film single-mindedly sees its elderly characters as objects of disgust or receptacles for harm. Read full review
42
The PlaylistBrian FarvourMar 7, 2025
Fortunately, the events onscreen do little, if anything, to tarnish the careers of two beloved actors who are still consistently operating at the top of their game despite the seemingly accidental efforts of director James Ashcroft. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeyMar 17, 2025
It wants to become a cat-and-mouse game between the leads, but the leaky script dampens any real hope of suspense. Read full review
40
The TimesKevin MaherMar 14, 2025
We are simply beaten into bored submission — yes, we get it, he’s maaaaaaad! There are also glaring plot holes and contrivances aplenty. By the closing-reel murder it’s almost impossible to care. Read full review
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