Dolls have so often been the basis of the horror genre that it’s become something of an overused trope, whether it’s the Annabelle doll in The Conjuring Universe or Brad Dourif’s Chucky continuing to terrorize those who come across him. While The Rule of Jenny Pen may put its unsettling тιтular doll front and center in its marketing, it not only proves to be far more than a general horror movie, but also avoids falling into the same pitfalls many others have when simply using the doll as a diversionary tactic for their real threat.

Based on Owen Marshall’s short story of the same name, The Rule of Jenny Pen focuses on Stefan Mortensen, a New Zealand judge who, after suffering a stroke, is sent to recover in a retirement facility where he’s largely in a wheelchair. Discontent with his situation, Mortensen finds himself further troubled by fellow resident Dave Crealy, an eccentric figure who wears a hollowed-out baby doll on his hand like a puppet and lords over the rest home. When Crealy’s actions begin to take a sinister turn, Mortensen begins to fear for his life and those around him.

The Rule Of Jenny Pen’s Story Is A Nicely Unpredictable Ride

Though Repeтιтive In Parts, It’s Truly Hard To Nail Down What’s About To Happen

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. Once Mortensen gets to the rest home, the plot seemingly points to there being some kind of supernatural undercurrent to the story, particularly with the surprisingly gruesome death of a fellow resident and the numerous appearances of a cat who seemingly alludes to someone about to die, much like Doctor Sleep‘s Azzie.

As the movie progresses, however, this gradually comes into question as we watch Lithgow’s Crealy become a further menace to Mortensen and his roommate, George Henare’s Tony. Where some horror movies frequently hint at some kind of possession or influence from the doll on their villain-esque characters, writers Eli Kent and James Ashcroft (who also directed) do a fascinating job of making us feel unsure about the paranormal nature of Jenny Pen, or whether Crealy is simply an evil figure with unclear motives.

With all that said, the movie’s story isn’t entirely without some flaws, the biggest being that it’s a little repeтιтive in its middle chunk. Though Crealy’s actions become increasingly disturbing to watch, Mortensen’s efforts to learn about his terrorizer and get help from the facility’s staff begin to go in circles. There’s little meaningful character development or major changes on a macro story level that it starts to feel that, while unsettling, The Rule of Jenny Pen tried to pad its already modest 104-minute runtime a bit.

Ashcroft’s Direction Is Appropriately Claustrophobic & Stylish

Even The Quietest Of Scenes Feel Visually Engaging

Though the film may drag in parts, one of the other major areas in which The Rule of Jenny Pen excels is Ashcroft and cinematographer Matt Henley’s visual approach to the film. Largely set in various rooms in a singular location, the duo make masterful use of their environments to really heighten the atmosphere of the scene and twist seemingly innocuous sequences into stomach-churning, thoroughly uncomfortable experiences.

One of my favorite elements of Ashcroft’s direction is how claustrophobic I felt in much of the film’s runtime. In largely being attached to Mortensen’s hip for the movie’s story, the filmmaker keeps us thoroughly grounded in his experiences by often keeping the camera less than a foot from his protagonist. However, he also infuses a lot of energetic style into the film, whether it’s Dutch angles to amplify the tension between Crealy and Mortensen in their early conversations or sweeping camera movements for the former’s more chaotic antics.

John Lithgow Is The Real MVP Of The Rule Of Jenny Pen

Geoffrey Rush Delivers A Compelling Grounded Turn, But Lithgow’s Commitment Amazes

With the film often oscillating between a darkly humorous take on aging to a genuinely unsettling psychological thriller, it’s important to have actors who navigate that тιԍнтrope well, and Ashcroft couldn’t have chosen better than when casting John Lithgow as Crealy and Geoffrey Rush as Mortensen. It’s the former, however, who dominates the film with his delightfully evil turn as the film’s antagonist. This is largely thanks to the sheer commitment he brings to the part, whether he’s dancing to the beat of his own tune, or getting realistically physical with his co-stars for disturbing scenes.

That’s not to say, though, that he’s the only good performer in the movie’s cast, as Rush also delivers a powerful turn as The Rule of Jenny Pen‘s protagonist. For much of the film, it’s hard to sympathize with his holier-than-thou character, but Rush finds ways to subtly break those walls down as the film progresses, leading to some quietly powerful moments. Combined with some solid material to work off of and unsettling imagery, the movie keeps the horror genre on the right track heading into the rest of the year.

The Rule of Jenny Pen hits theaters on March 7, followed by a Shudder release on March 28.