Stephen King Said This Underseen 2025 Horror Film Is One of the Best Films of the 21st Century, and It’s on Shudder Now

The New York Times‘ list of the best movies of the 21st century gave insight into the eclectic tastes of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Stephen King’s ballot revealed that he is still up-to-date with the modern horror landscape, praising 2025’s underseen The Rule of Jenny Pen and giving it a place in his top 10. The movie received a limited theatrical run before releasing on Shudder, which is where it gained a moderate level of traction for the streaming service. However, its obscurity means it hasn’t garnered the appreciation it deserves, which is surprising considering its two leads, John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush, are hugely recognizable and respected veterans of the craft.

Despite its lack of visibility, it is unsurprising that Stephen King found his way to The Rule of Jenny Pen and loved it, as the movie features a lot of the horror writer’s hallmarks. It blends the isolated setting that mirrors The Overlook in The Shining with King’s ability to craft sinister characters from inanimate objects, which is exactly what Jenny Pen is. However, what is most similar to the horror behemoth is the focus on ignored groups within society. In the case of The Rule of Jenny Pen, this is an examination of how the elderly are seen as invisible and often how their fears are pushed aside and written off.

‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’ Is a Sinister Examination of Aging

The Rule of Jenny Pen centers on Stefan (Geoffrey Rush), a judge, who suffers a stroke during one of the trials he is overseeing and enters a retirement home whilst he is recovering. The home in question is isolated, and the movie makes a conscious effort to highlight it as more of a budget-friendly option and therefore absent of luxury. There is this sense that the facilities are all still functional, but slightly decrepit and neglected in a manner that mirrors how the residents are still perfectly capable individuals who have decayed due to being forgotten.

After spending time in the home, Stefan realizes something isn’t quite right with fellow resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow), who has never been seen without a puppet in his hand, known to all as Jenny Pen. Through the titular hand puppet, Crealy abuses and tortures fellow residents, including Stefan and his roommate Tony (George Henare). Jenny Pen is never shown to be supernatural in any capacity, but the movie uses visual framing to show her threatening presence over the residents, such as shots of a supersized version of the doll looming over Stefan. These heightened illustrations are an analogy to the power Crealy has through Jenny Pen.

The way The Rule of Jenny Pen makes this inanimate, unthreatening object into something extremely menacing is a theme that echoes the work of Stephen King, who often places something mundane at the center of his story. There is this idea that human cruelty can turn something ordinary into something villainous. The movie doesn’t rely on jump scares but instead, through these unsettling depictions, creates an extremely ominous atmosphere. The slow-moving shots often feature something that is just visible in the corner of your eye, to the point where the audience begins to question what they are seeing. This only furthers the sense of dread and hysteria present.

John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush Give Intimate and Personal Performances

Lithgow and Rush are a huge reason The Rule of Jenny Pen is able to sustain its limited concept and not become one-note. Their performances are nuanced and evolve as the psychological torment intensifies. Lithgow builds the psychotic nature of his character, allowing a steady build of terror and elevating the way he utilizes his position to create power. He shows how Crealy flips from an eclectic malefactor at night to a frail old man in the day. This stark contrast is unnerving but, more importantly, shows Crealy is gravely unstoppable, as none of the staff see him as capable of anything he is accused of.

However, it is Rush’s portrayal of helplessness that gives The Rule of Jenny Pen its suffocating atmosphere. He lets the audience into the pain of Stefan’s mind and his personal fight against his own capabilities. One particularly heartbreaking scene shows Stefan attempting to pick up a cup, and even with his whole focus, his body simply doesn’t do what he wants it to. Stefan is slowly losing movement in his body, but is in constant denial of the truth of his physical state. Not only does Stefan feel claustrophobic in a retirement home that he wants to escape, but he feels trapped in his own body.

The real horror within The Rule of Jenny Pen isn’t supernatural; instead, it centers on humanity and the taboo of aging. There is this assumption that an older man would never hurt other older people in such a vicious way, because the elderly are ignored and seen as sub-human. It is such an intense examination of how the older generation is pushed to the fringes of society. The closed, off-kilter setting of The Rule of Jenny Pen, laced with dense thematic interest, feels akin to Stephen King, and it is not surprising that the horror maestro loved it.