The Rule of Jenny Pen review – John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush excel in malicious nursing home chiller
A chillingly unexpected spin on the geriatric horror genre, James Ashcroft's nervy New Zealand psychological thriller combines two credible threats to unsettling effect. One is dementia and the dread of a once sharp mind losing its edge and autonomy. The other is a demented senior psychopath with an eyeless doll repurposed as a glove puppet, who terrorises the fellow residents of his nursing home. The Rule of Jenny Pen plays out as a battle of wills between former judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush), newly arrived as a patient at the facility after a stroke, and the monstrous, cackling Dave Crealy (a thoroughly chilling John Lithgow) and his demonic rubber sidekick, Jenny Pen.
There are moments of greatness in this bracingly malicious tale of elder abuse. The opening sequence, which captures the disorientation and reality slippage resulting from Stefan's stroke, is superb. The use of sound and music (the chirpy cockney anthem Knees Up Mother Brown takes on a sense of choking menace) is first-rate. And both central performances are impressive. Where the picture founders is in a repetitive screenplay that clumsily switches character perspectives and squanders much of the story's initial promise.
In UK and Irish cinemas
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Love Island contestant who replaced axed star admits already breaking show rules
The latest series of Love Island is due to grace our screens on Monday night where a whole host of new contestants will try and find love A Love Island contestant who replaced axed Kyle Ashman has broken show rules after signing up. Conor Phillips is due to enter the villa on Monday night when the new series begins. The 25-year-old rugby player has been preparing for his island stint and even recruited a former islander for help. He has replaced Kyle Ashman who was originally meant to be going on the show but was sent home just days before the series launch after it came out that he'd been quizzed by police over an attack in February. Conor has now said that he spoke to former winner Greg O'Shea before flying out to Majorca to get some advice. However, islanders are not meant to reveal that they are going on the show beforehand. READ MORE: Zara McDermott shares 'unreal' £30 hair waver that's been creating her go-to summer hair Fellow Irish rugby player Greg won series five alongside Amber Gill. Conor said: "I know Greg through rugby circles so I spoke to him about going on Love Island. "He just said 'be yourself, it's a really really really cool experience that not many people get. So enjoy it and yeah take it day by day and if you can be yourself you can't really go too far wrong'. So that's my plan. He was like 'my advice might be a bit different from others because I won'." He added: "I'm 25 and I've only had one relationship and it wasn't very long. So I feel like I'm maybe doing something wrong or maybe I'm not in the right places. So, hopefully that this is the right place and it should be you know because you're in a lovely villa surrounded by beautiful people, so I'm hoping that this is the one." Kyle has since spoken out about why he was removed from the show. He said: "I fully co-operated with this police investigation and made it very clear that I had no involvement in this incident. I am not a violent person and any suggestion otherwise is a mischaracterisation." It was reported that two masked people stormed a wake in Stafford and hacked at a dad with a blade. Kyle was one of two quizzed but was then released with no further action. It has been said that ITV were unaware of the incident which took place and was not flagged up when contestant checks were carried out. The 38-year-old victim nearly lost his arm and was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment and kept in for around two weeks. Another person who was at the wake was glassed while another was struck with a metal pole. Two more people were run over by a car during the 15 minute attack. Love Island returns Monday, June 9 at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Angela Scanlon feeling 'judged' in 15-year eating disorder battle
TV presenter Angela Scanlon has opened up about her body battles growing up, why she wants her daughters to stay 'wild' and her no-holds-barred new podcast with Vicky Pattison From her vibrant fashion sense to her no-nonsense presenting approach, TV and radio host Angela Scanlon isn't afraid to stand out from the crowd. And as we sit down for an exclusive OK! interview with the flame-haired 41-year-old, the fire in her belly is thoroughly infectious. 'Sorry, my three-year-old is pretending to be a ballerina mermaid, so it's been a busy morning,' says Angela with a warm smile as we do our introductions. Followers will already know that very little is off the table for the Irish presenter, who opens up on mental health, physical health, friendships, morals and everything in between on social media. But what fans rarely see is her life behind the scenes as a busy working mum to two daughters, Ruby, seven, and Marnie, three, who she shares with husband Roy Horgan. READ MORE: Zara McDermott shares 'unreal' £30 hair waver that's been creating her go-to summer hair 'I think having something that's private is really important for me,' says Angela, explaining her decision to keep her family life out of the public eye. 'To be able to have that sense of separation is nice. 'When you're in the public eye, there's this sense of people really wanting to see every part of your life, and I totally understand that because I have the same thing. I want to see inside the fridges of the people I follow! But it's striking a balance and, for me, there is something really important about being able to come home, close the door and know that this is real life. Particularly when things are hard, it makes me feel more grounded.' The Meath-born star, who rose to fame presenting shows such as The One Show and Robot Wars, admits she often struggles knowing how much to share with the world and where to draw the line. 'There's definitely a protectiveness over my family life. I'm trying to figure out what the line is there, because that's how I spend a lot of my time, and it's where a lot of my stories come from that I want to talk about on the radio or the podcast,' says Angela, who recently launched new podcast Get A Grip with her friend Vicky Pattison. Although she says time is 'flying by' with her two youngsters, it's clear she's embracing it all. 'I want to press pause on this stage of life. All my friends tell me that between zero and eight years old is the sweet spot, so I'm like, 'How do I make this last?' Although, my three-year-old is in rampant tantrum territory so that's... lots of fun right now!' Angela has managed to strike a healthy balance between work and family life, something that isn't easy in her industry. 'I host weekend breakfast on Virgin Radio, which is a recurring thing, and genuinely I think that a few years ago, had you suggested to me that I would do a recurring gig, I would have run for the hills. I had this phobia around anything deemed to be commitment, outside of my relationship to my husband. 'I was like, 'Oh God, I do not want to be pinned down to anything.' But actually I love it. I still have space to do school drop-off and get time for myself. Last night I went to see Kylie Minogue and danced until late, but then I woke up and made the kids porridge. It's swings and roundabouts.' Having children has not only given the presenter a new routine, but her journey as a mum has improved her mental and physical health, too, she tells us. 'Before I had kids, my approach was very much that my body was to be preened, presented and punished. It was almost somewhat separate from me,' she muses. 'But I think having children changed how I viewed my body and I became more compassionate, more appreciative and more in awe of what it does every single day. I became more gentle in my approach – my body was to be cared for and appreciated rather than punished or insulted.' Angela has previously spoken about her 15-year battle with eating disorders anorexia and bulimia, which she admits led to a complicated relationship with her body. 'Growing up, it was size 0 mania, low-slung jeans and bare-toned midriffs, very much a singular idea of what a beautiful woman looked like. There was very little talk about what a healthy relationship with your body looks like. I grew up hearing that your body is something that should be handed out there and judged,' she explains. This long-term battle with body image has sparked a determination in the former Strictly Come Dancing star to inspire women to feel comfortable in their own skin, and to ensure her daughters grow up with a wholly different mindset. 'There's still a sense of policing what women do, how they look, how they should present, what they should wear. It's bonkers. I think there's a real desire to kind of push back on that. Now I have two daughters, I want to push back on that more. 'I always remind myself that we don't want our daughters to be these complicit, well-behaved little girls who sit quietly and do what they're told, because that's what we've all been told to do,' says Angela. 'I try to take a deep breath when they're being wild and think, 'What I want to preserve more than anything is the fire in them.' Women need that fire.' Fire is something Angela has plenty of and she puts it to good use when dealing with internet trolls. Known for sharing her bold outfit choices on social media, Angela says some users don't hold back with their unsolicited opinions. 'There is the odd time that [trolling] will sting, but the vast majority of the time it's some d***head in his boxers in his mother's spare room commenting, so I don't let it get to me too much,' she says. 'But I do often respond. People will send me DMs with pretty hardcore 'feedback' and I will reply. Sometimes I can be quite cutting when I need to be, but after replying I block them so it doesn't turn into a conversation.' It was this kind of backlash that inspired the name of Angela and Vicky's podcast, Get A Grip. 'The name came because Vicky and I have both experienced people telling us to pipe down or to get a grip, but in different ways,' she says. 'Ultimately, people say phrases like that as a kind of dismissal or to make women shut up and stay in their lane. It's like, 'Don't talk politics, you wear silly dresses,' as if one negates the other. Vicky and I are both very feminist and while you don't need to shout about that from the rooftops, we both do.' Get A Grip, hosted by Angela Scanlon and Vicky Pattison, is available on all podcasting platforms
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Glasgow Times
Cynthia Erivo and The Vivienne among ‘LGBT+ changemakers' in 2025 Pride List
The Independent's Pride List for 2025 also includes retired Olympic diver Tom Daley, actor Bella Ramsey, artist David Hockney, comedian Joe Lycett and author Juno Dawson. Erivo, 38, who won a Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (Glaad) Award earlier in the year, was placed at number four on the top 10 list while The Vivienne, the drag alter-ego of the late James Lee Williams, is seventh. The Vivienne attending the National Television Awards 2020 (Isabel Infantes/PA) The Vivienne, who won the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK and spoke publicly about prejudices faced by LGBT+ people and by the drag community, died in January at the age of 32 and is a posthumous inclusion on the list. Topping the 2025 Pride List is Victoria McCloud, a lawyer, former judge and transgender woman who announced she would take the Government to the European Court of Human Rights over the Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of a woman. Dr McCloud said: 'I'm delighted and honoured that The Independent has included me in its Pride List this year. 'In 2025, more than ever before, amidst increasing oppression and segregation at home, with court and state against us, people from the trans community yearn to be bathed in rainbow light. 'These are uniquely dark times but we will challenge those who wish to marginalise us, be they Government or activists with money and the odd mega-yacht to spare. 'We have been here for centuries; we will be here for centuries to come. The quiet majority walk with us.' In April the UK's highest court unanimously ruled that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. Bella Ramsey is third on the list (Ian West/PA) Chloe Hubbard, UK editor of The Independent, said: 'We are proud to champion our most influential LGBT+ changemakers once again on our annual Pride List in a year where the community has been further marginalised on both sides of the Atlantic. 'Visibility and pride within the queer community feels more vital than ever and we are dedicated to continuing to occupy our unique place in the media on LGBT+ issues.' In 2023, The Independent relaunched its Rainbow List as the Pride List, to recognise 50 extraordinary 'LGBT+ changemakers'. The 2024 list included Doctor Who and Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, commentator and former England footballer Alex Scott, Wicked and Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey and screenwriter Russell T Davies. To mark the publication of its Pride List, The Independent will host an event at Queer Britain on June 11. This year's top 10: 1. Victoria McCloud, former judge of the King's Bench 2. Juno Dawson, author 3. Bella Ramsey, actor 4. Cynthia Erivo, actor and singer 5. Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 6. David Hockney, artist 7. The Vivienne, drag artist, singer and television personality 8. Joe Lycett, comedian, television presenter and artist 9. Tom Daley, Olympic gold medallist and television personality 10. Yasmin Benoit, model and activist
