Exclusive Look at ‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’: Stephen King-Approved Puppet Horror Revealed

‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’ is a 2024 horror film directed by James Ashcroft, based on a short story by Owen Marshall. The movie stars Geoffrey Rush as Judge Stefan Mortensen, who suffers a stroke and is forced to live in a retirement home, where he faces terror from John Lithgow’s character, Dave Crealy.

Crealy uses a dementia doll, Jenny Pen, to torment the residents, and when Mortensen’s complaints go ignored, he decides to stop Crealy’s cruelty himself. The film features a strong supporting cast, including Nathaniel Lees, Thomas Sainbury, and Ian Mune.

The movie already premiered during Fantastic Fest on 19 September, but the Shudder premiere will arrive later in 2025.

ScreenRant revealed a new exclusive image from the movie that shows the puppet, a bald baby doll with glowing eyes.

In the upcoming film, the creepy puppet plays a big role, but the story also explores deeper themes, especially around aging. One theme is elderly men struggling to let go of their youth, with John Lithgow’s character turning playfulness into something dark, and Geoffrey Rush’s character insisting he will get better and return to work.

Another theme is the difficulty Stefan Mortensen (Rush) faces in communicating his fear to the staff at the retirement home, who dismiss his concerns as signs of mental decline. The staff ignores both his complaints and the behavior of Dave Crealy, not believing the truth of the torment happening.

Stephen King recently praised ‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’ on social media, calling it “one of the best movies [he’s] seen this year.” He encouraged people to watch the film when it premieres on Shudder.

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