Horror among the elderly

 

If The Rule of Jenny Pen, a horror movie set in a nursing home, accomplishes anything, it's to convince us that John Lithgow can play an evil, sadistic villain. A tortured fellow who wanders through an elder care facility with a doll puppet on his right arm, Lithgow’s Dave turns the doll head into an ominous threat that might come crashing down on a vulnerable head. Director James Ashcroft focuses Dave’s cruel psychopathic tendencies on Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush), a judge who has been severely debilitated by a stroke. Arrogant and accustomed to getting his way, Stefan has difficulty accepting his new life in a wheelchair and limited use of his hands. He's been stripped of his power and doesn't like it. Ashcroft doesn't skimp when it comes to Dave's sadism; he pulls the catheter out of Stefan's roommate's body. He steals food from other residents and eats like a hog who hadn't found a place at the trough for years. Both Lithgow and Rush meet the story's challenges, but committed performances can't alleviate the feeling that the movie indulges in what can look like serial abuse of the elderly. And, yes, it's difficult to believe that the home's staff believes Stefan is fabricating. Ashcroft skillfully mounts some of the movie's wince-inducing bits, but when the movie reached its conclusion, I had little on which to reflect other than the sour aftertaste so much cruelty left.