KSL Movie Show review: ‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’ is well-acted, raises tension to a new level

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SALT LAKE CITY — I was going to joke about how long it’s been since I’ve seen a good horror movie from New Zealand. But then I did some checking. None other than Peter Jackson, early in his career, made a slew of them – most notably “Dead-Alive” in 1992. That was so bloody and gory it was banned in Germany. Yep, Germany!

To this day, the movie can’t be shown publicly. How bloody are we talking? The final sequence required 300 liters (that’s nearly 80 gallons) of fake blood or as the Maoris would say, “Tu Meke” which means “too much” but in a good way. As a result, it’s considered one of Jackson’s best comedies.

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So, my apologies to the horror freaks in Kiwi Land, you’ve apparently got game.

Which leads us to this week’s offering of a horror tale, “The Rule of Jenny Pen,” which is, more succinctly, a psychological thriller set in a New Zealand rest home.

The story behind “The Rule of Jenny Pen”

Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) has a stroke while passing sentence on a serial child molester, but he’s really angry at the grownups who put these kids in harm’s way. Suddenly he collapses, then finds himself in a long care facility for the aged, where he rolls around in his motorized wheelchair with a condescending scowl on his face.

He insists on having a private room, where none is available. He can’t stand the food, the other patrons, or the blaring TV with a barking mad resident cackling with delight at absolutely nothing.

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That’s our first introduction to Dave Crealy (John Lithgow) a patient who bullies other guests for their food and wanders the hallways at night with an eyeless Jenny Pen doll attached to his hand. He has strength and agility which makes him a force of mischief to the dismay of the other residents.

I was frankly shocked at the level of elderly abuse that was rampant throughout this film. Dave tormented so many, including the Judge’s roommate Tony (played by acclaimed Kiwi actor George Henare) who had a bad knee from a legendary career in rugby.

How “The Rule of Jenny Pen” begins to turn

But it was the Judge that began to draw the ire of Dave and his hand puppet, despite the Judge’s constant concerns raised to the caretakers, who by now, ignored his complaints. It came to the point where the Judge and Tony were going to have to take matters into their own feeble hands, if they hoped to stay alive.

The idea of all this is terrifying enough, but in the hands of these three pros, the tension in “The Rule of Jenny Pen” is raised to a whole new level, especially the diabolical efforts of one John Lithgow, who brought his “A” game to this horrifying character.

Again, the horror comes from the psychological trauma inflicted by this demented nightmare of a human being, but it’s so well-acted, that its grip is inescapable, if you dare to take on “The Rule of Jenny Pen.”

“THE RULE OF JENNY PEN” (B+) Rated R for violent content including sexual assault, and some language. Starring John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, George Henare, Holly Shanahan and Bruce Phillips. Co-written and directed by James Ashcroft (“Coming Home in the Dark” “The Whisper Man”) from a short story by Owen Marshall. Filmed in Wellington and Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Running time: 104 minutes.

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.