The Rule of Jenny Pen

I'll be honest - I was sceptical going into this. Horror these days often leans too heavily on cheap jump scares or tired supernatural clichés. But 'The Rule of Jenny Pen' proved to be something far more unsettling. It burrowed under my skin in a way few films have managed this year, and the scariest part? There's nothing supernatural about it.

At its core, this is a story about aging, isolation, and the absolute horror of losing control - over your body, your mind, and even your dignity. Geoffrey Rush delivers a powerhouse performance as Judge Stefan Mortensen, once formidable but now diminished by a stroke, trapped in a care home where he's no longer the man he used to be. Then there's John Lithgow as Dave Crealy - easily one of the most unsettling screen presences in recent memory. There's nothing exaggerated or over-the-top about him; that's what makes it worse. He's a quiet, insidious bully, tormenting those around him in a way that's all too real. It's psychological horror at its most effective - unrelenting, suffocating, and utterly inescapable.

The film is deeply disturbing in the best possible way. It doesn't rely on gore or shock tactics-it simply forces you to sit with the horror of its reality, the sense of helplessness creeping in until you can't shake it. It made my skin crawl.

This is an outstanding film, with brilliant performances from both Rush and Lithgow. A sharp, unsettling psychological thriller that cuts to something we all understand: the fear of aging, of losing ourselves, and of being at the mercy of others. If you have aging family members - or simply dread the thought of your own future - this is a must-watch.