James Ashcroft directed the 2024 New Zealand psychological horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen, which stars John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, and George Henare. It’s an exciting story about power, control, and what happens when you stand up to a bully. Based on Owen Marshall‘s short story, the movie shows the disturbing dynamics in an assisted living facility where a resident named Dave Crealy (John Lithgow) hurts an elderly judge named Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) over and over again. As the movie goes on, the tension builds, and the ending is dark and makes you think.
WHAT HAPPENS TO DAVE AT THE END OF THE RULE OF JENNY PEN?
Throughout the movie, Dave Crealy, who used to be a nurse and has lived at Royal Pines Mews for a long time, acts like a cruel bully. He rules over the weaker residents by using his doll, Jenny Pen, as an extension of his meanness. Dave’s latest target is Stefan Mortensen, a former judge who is having trouble moving around after having a stroke.
In a brutal confrontation, the movie’s climax takes place. Stefan and Tony, his roommate, finally decide to fight back against Dave’s constant abuse. They trick him into going into the laundry room, then surprise him there and suffocate him with a blanket.
It’s strange that the facility staff doesn’t think there was foul play. Based on Dave’s age and medical history, they think he died of natural causes. The atmosphere in the facility gets a lot better now that Dave is no longer in charge. Stefan and Tony are still not being looked at suspiciously and the other residents look relieved. This means that the time of fear is over.
WHAT DOES STEFAN BURN AT THE END?
At the end of the movie, Stefan sets Jenny Pen on fire. Dave used the doll as a psychological weapon. This action doesn’t just destroy something; it also means that Dave’s control over the facility is gone.
Jenny Pen is more than just a doll in the movie; she’s a symbol of Dave’s power. Giving the doll a voice and telling it what to do is a scary thing that Dave does with it, which makes it an extension of his fear. By burning Jenny Pen, Stefan metaphorically ends the rule of both Dave and the doll, restoring a sense of peace to the facility.
WHY DID DAVE TARGET STEFAN?
Unlike most people who want to get even, Dave’s hatred for Stefan comes from the way power works, not from a personal grudge. Although he recalls seeing Stefan once in his past, he has no deep-seated vendetta against him. Instead, he enjoys the power shift that occurs when a once-powerful judge is rendered weak and vulnerable in the facility.
Dave takes particular pleasure in tormenting Stefan because he represents the elite and privileged—a group Dave resented. What makes him happy is knowing that he has all the power in this small space, which is something he could never do in the real world.
HOW DID DAVE GET AWAY WITH IT?
Dave had a few advantages that let him scare the people living in the facility without anyone stepping in:
Manipulation of Staff: When Dave was around the facility staff, he knew how to act like a harmless old man with mental health problems.
Knowledge of the Facility: Dave knew all the secret passageways, security holes, and key access points because he had worked at the building before.
Preying on Vulnerability: Many of the residents were either too weak or too mentally ill to fight back or tell anyone about what he was doing.
All of these things made it possible for Dave to rule without any problems, at least until Stefan and Tony finally did something about it.
IS JENNY PEN DOLL SUPERNATURAL?
The way Jenny Pen seems to change appearance from scene to scene is one of the scariest things about the movie. Her facial expressions change slowly at times, and sometimes it looks like she has eyes where there weren’t any before. This makes me wonder: is Jenny Pen really supernatural?
The movie never makes it clear that the doll can do supernatural things. Instead, Jenny’s changing looks might be a psychological effect of Dave’s abuse on Stefan and the other residents. Stefan’s health and mental state were getting worse, which may have caused him to see changes in the doll. When looked at this way, Jenny Pen is more of a figure of speech for Dave’s influence than a real ghostly object.
WHAT DOES THE ENDING MEAN FOR STEFAN?
Stefan stays at the facility after Dave’s death, but things are very different:
• The mood is better now that people aren’t afraid of each other.
• Stefan is happy that he and others are no longer under Dave’s cruel control.
• Dave’s legacy of terror will not live on after he burns Jenny Pen. It is his last act of freedom.
Even though Stefan killed Dave, he doesn’t seem to be facing any consequences and things at the facility seem to be going as usual. The movie sends a scary message; in the real world, justice isn’t always done through the law, but through moral choices.
The Rule of Jenny Pen is a thought-provoking horror film that blends psychological terror with real-world issues like bullying, class divides, and the abuse of power. The film’s chilling yet satisfying ending reinforces the idea that sometimes, standing up to a bully is the only way to reclaim control. By eliminating Dave and burning Jenny Pen, Stefan not only ensures his own safety but also restores balance to the assisted living facility.
Though the film leaves some elements open-ended, one thing is clear: Jenny Pen’s rule has ended, and with it, so has Dave’s reign of terror.
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THE RULE OF JENNY PEN (2024): THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY BEHIND THE FILM
