20 Awesome Horror Movies In 2025 You Definitely Missed
10. The Rule of Jenny Pen
The Rule of Jenny Pen makes a firm argument that the horror genre desperately needs more movies focused on the elderly, taking place in a care home where one of its residents (John Lithgow) terrorises and bullies the rest.
Writer-director James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark) confirms himself a filmmaker to watch with this perceptive and frighteningly real examination of elder abuse and institutional neglect.
The sharp writing is elevated by Ashcroft's penchant for suffocating mood and a sublime two-hander from a terrifying John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush as his primary target.
It'd be so easy for such a premise to go off the rails or become too goofy for its own good - especially with the titular puppet Lithgow's villain uses to further antagonise his fellow residents - but Ashcroft and his cast maintain a firm grasp on the story's tone throughout.
As a reminder of just how persuasively unpleasant the generally likeable Lithgow can be in the right role, The Rule of Jenny Pen is a sublime acting showcase.