Stephen King Says This Is the Scariest Horror Movie of the 21st Century: “I Urge You to See It”

Stephen King knows a lot about horror. He’s written dozens of famous scary stories, and even though his attempt at directing a horror movie himself (the very bad Maximum Overdrive) didn’t work out, he’s still someone people trust when it comes to scary films. So when he says a movie is good, fans pay attention.

Recently, King talked about a movie called The Rule of Jenny Pen, a small horror film from New Zealand that hardly anyone saw when it first came out. He posted online after watching it and said, “I watched one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. It’s called The Rule of Jenny Pen, and I urge you to watch it when it appears on Shudder.” That’s a pretty big statement from a guy who’s seen almost every horror movie out there.

I watched one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. It’s called THE RULE OF JENNY PEN, and I urge you to watch it when it appears on Shudder. Geoffrey Rush stars, with John Lithgow as a geriatric psychopath with an evil hand puppet.

Via X

The movie came out in 2025 and is based on a short story by Owen Marshall. It was directed by James Ashcroft and stars John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush. Even though these actors are well-known, the film didn’t do well in theaters. Most people didn’t even hear about it until it showed up on the horror streaming service Shudder in March 2025.

The story is about an old judge named Stefan Mortensen, played by Geoffrey Rush. After he has a stroke, he has to move into a care home to recover. He ends up sharing a room with Tony Garfield, a retired rugby player who’s not happy about being there either.

Things get creepy when they meet Dave Crealy, played by John Lithgow. Crealy acts like he’s just a confused old man, but at night, he turns into a bully who uses a weird hand puppet called Jenny Pen to scare and control the other people living there.

Stephen King wasn’t the only person who liked the movie. Critics also praised it, especially Lithgow’s performance. Rotten Tomatoes said about 71 percent of reviews were positive. The site said in its review summary that “John Lithgow’s frighteningly unhinged performance reigns over The Rule of Jenny Pen, a nasty chiller that’s by turns monotonous and haunting.” Metacritic gave it a score of 66 out of 100, which shows that most reviewers thought it was good.

Other reviewers called the film “an instant horror classic,” while The Guardian said it was “a bracingly malicious tale of elder abuse.” The film also won some awards. Director James Ashcroft won best director at Fantastic Fest in Texas, and Lithgow and Rush shared a best actor award at Spain’s Sitges Film Festival.

One thing that shows how much King liked this movie is the way he ranked it alongside big Hollywood films. According to reports, he put The Rule of Jenny Pen in the same category as movies like Oppenheimer, The Departed, and No Country for Old Men. These are not horror films, but they’re considered modern classics.

For a small, strange horror movie from New Zealand to be ranked that highly by one of horror’s most famous creators says a lot.

If you’re looking for something truly disturbing, a horror film that’s weird, nasty, and different from most scary movies you’ve seen before, Stephen King says you should watch The Rule of Jenny Pen. And as any horror fan knows, when Stephen King recommends something, it’s probably worth watching

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!