The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)

Released March 7, 2025, in the US.

Filming location(s) unknown.

The story: Stefan Mortensen is an elderly judge.

One day, while holding court, he suffers a stroke.

The next thing he knows, he is wheelchair bound and in a rest home.

Stefan is suffering from all this change, but he is hopeful that once he recovers, his life will be back to normal.

He shares a room with aging rugby player Tony Garfield, who Stefan soon finds out is tormented by, without consequence,  another elderly resident, Dave Crealy.

Mr. Crealy happens to have been an employee at the rest home, who, of course, knows how to get around the place without any of the caretakers catching on.

So when he begins harassing and brutalizing Stefan, the caretakers will not listen.

You see, Mr. Crealy, who is never without his accomplice, eyeless handpuppet Jenny Pen, plays the role of a confused man who is in need of help from the caretakers.

But the reality is that Mr. Crealy is a bully who gets away with tormenting the other residents.

So much so that he is a danger to them all.

Stars Geoffrey Rush, Ian Mune , George Henare , Fiona Collins , Yvette Parsons , John Lithgow , Bruce Phillips , Richard Chapman , Maaka Pohatu , Annie Ruth , Hilary Norris , Nick Blake

Directed by (& story partly written) James Ashcroft

Rated R
MYSTERY/THRILLER/HORROR

Cobweb (2023)

Released October 20th in the US.

Filmed in Bulgaria.
The story: Young Peter, who lives with his mom and dad in an old house, is unable to sleep.

Every night, he hears noises in the wall in his bedroom...

His parents check, but they hear nothing.

The problems at home are also showing up at school. 

When his new, very nice substitute teacher visits his home to check on him, his mother is completely bothered.

Soon, Peter finds himself home all the time and completely isolated, other than being with his parents, now that they believe homeschooling is the answer for him.

But when the noises in the wall turn into voices that seem to know Peter, things get really complicated.

Stars Woody Norman , Lizzy Caplan , Antony Starr , Cleopatra Coleman , Luke Busey , Anton Kottas , Jay Rincon , Aleksandra Dragova , Jivko Mihaylov , Alexander Carra , Iliyan Nikolov

Directed by Samuel Bodin

Rated R
MYSTERY/THRILLER/HORROR

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025)

Released on Hulu instant streaming, October 22nd in the US.

Filmed entirely in California.

The story: Caitlin is a young mother who is expecting.

One day at work, she meets Polly Murphy, who is looking for an apartment.

The two seem to hit it off a bit and then part ways.

Fast forward to after Caitlin's baby is born.

She is out shopping with her two kids when she runs into Polly.

After chatting a while, Polly notices Caitlin could probably use some help with the kids.

She offers to babysit for Caitlin is she ever needs her to, claiming that she used to be a nanny.

They exchange numbers and part once more.

Caitlin looks into Polly's reference and thinks she is legit so she calls her.

Right away, Polly steps into the nanny role seemingly like a pro, which satisfies Caitlin.

But there really is a sinister reason for the fact that Polly has made her way into Caitlin and her family's life.

Stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Maika Monroe , Raul Castillo , Martin Starr , Riki Lindhome , Mileiah Vega , Lola Contreras , Nora Contreras , Yvette Lu , Shannon Cochran , Arabella Olivia Clark

Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera

Rated R
REMAKE/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Spaceman (2024)

Released February 23rd in the US.

Filmed in the Czech Republic and New York.

The story: Jakub is a scientist who has become the first Czech astronaut.

He has currently been on a six-month mission, alone on Jupiter, to explore the end of the solar system.

This makes him quite the hero with the people of his country, but not so much with his wife, who is currently pregnant with their child.

Because of the many demons Jakub faces, he feels, against his wife's wishes, that he must be the person to do this mission.

While in space, going through the regular, daily motions, Jakub encounters what he believes is possibly contamination to his spacecraft in the shape of a giant spider...

After some time, he realizes that what he believed was a virus is actually an alien spider who has come in peace to join him to learn about him and his mission...

Jakub cannot believe what is happening and doesn't know if it is real or his imagination.

But the spider quickly grows on him, causing Jakub to remember all the things in his life that have led up to this point.

Stars Adam Sandler , Isabella Rossellini , Kunal Nayyar (voice), Paul Dano , Carey Mulligan , Lena Olin , Petr Papanek , Marian Roden , Zuzana Stivinova , John Flanders , Sunny Sandler , Sinead Phelps

Directed by Johan Renck

Rated R
SCIFI/MYSTERY

The Boogeyman ; Stephen King's (2023)

Released June 2nd in the US.

Filmed entirely in Louisiana.

The story: The recent death of high school student Sadie and her little sister Sawyer's mother has devastated them, but Sadie is having the hardest time.

Their father, Will, is there, but he doesn't exactly know how to go about helping his girls deal with their grief, although he is a therapist.

After Will sees Sawyer and Sadie off to school for the day, he is visited by Lester Billings, an unexpected visitor who says he needs to speak to Will because he's a therapist.

Will doesn't usually see clients without an appointment, but Lester is adamant that he talk to him.

Will sits and allows Lester to tell him what is going on. 

He is clearly in distress and explains that all three of his children were killed by "something" that lives in the darkness, something that kills children while their parents are not looking...

But Lester believes people will think he is responsible because his story seems too outrageous.

When Will excuses himself to call the police, thinking Lester is crazy, Lester offs himself in Will's deceased wife's studio.

Or does he?

Stars Vivien Lyra Blair , Sophie Thatcher , Chris Messina , David Dastmalchian , Cristala Carter , Madison Hu , Lisa Gay Hamilton , Leeann Ross , Maddie Nichols , Rio Machado , Marin Ireland

Directed by Rob Savage

Rated PG13

MYSTERY/THRILLER/SCIFI/HORROR

The First Omen (2024)

Released April 5th in the US.

Filmed in Italy and Serbia.

The story : Rome , 1971.

Young , American nun Margaret Daino has come all the way from her hometown of Pittsfield , Massachusetts to begin a new life , living and working at a Catholic orphanage.

She is very excited to be there, brought into the church by a wise Cardinal who she loves and trusts and has known all her life.

Soon she meets even younger Carlita , who is an orphan the nuns keep locked away in a room by herself.

Margaret has much sympathy for Carlita and cannot imagine she could do anything wrong enough to be locked away from the world.

When the nuns notice Margaret taking a liking to Carlita , they try to sway her from paying much attention.

All of this confuses poor Margaret and soon she is approached by a priest who asks her to get the birth records of Carlita , who he claims is a child the church helped bring into the world as the Antichrist.

Margaret believes the priest to be out of his mind but after finding said files and realizing he was right , she begins plotting her and Carlita's escape.

Stars Nell Tiger Free , Bill Nighy , Sonia Braga , Maria Caballero , Ishtar Currie Wilson , Dora Romano , Eugenia Delbue , Donatella Bartoli , Tawfeek Barhom , Nicole Sorace , Federica Santoro , Ralph Ineson , Andrea Arcangeli , Charles Dance , Guido Quaglione , Anton Alexander , Michelangelo Dalisi

Directed by Arkasha Stevenson

Rated R
PREQUEL/HORROR/SCIFI 

Takeout (2025)

Made for Tubi, airing on instant streaming September 19th in the US.

Filming location(s) unknown.

The story: There is a serial killer on the loose who the media refers to as the Dollkeeper, due to leaving creepy dolls at the scene of each crime. 

Working the night shift this evening at the local diner are manager Harper, cook Bennie, and waitress Nova.

Nova happens to see the latest news coverage about a missing woman who could easily be missing due to the killer. 

The news cast also includes mention of a big reward for any help tracking the killer down.

Before long, a strange customer shows up. He gives Nova a bad feeling.

She convinces Bennie that the strange guy in the dining area is the killer.

While talking about it, Harper appears, complaining that they aren't working.

Bennie and Nova then convince Harper of the same thing they are thinking.

The three concoct a quick plan to check out the strange guy's car, with Nova getting his keys and getting into the car.

What Nova finds is more than enough proof that the guy who gives her the creeps is the killer, only the three run into one small problem.

There is no call-out service....

Stars Nkone Mametja , Darron Meyer , Jandile Lujabe , Deoudone Pretorius , Damien Wantenaar , Alex McGregor , Keeno Lee Hector , Nikita Faber , Robyn Scott , Daniel Janks , Grant Ross , Gia Capouya

Directed by (& story written) Jem Garrard

Not Rated 

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Good Boy (2025)

Released October 3rd in the US.

Filming location(s) unknown.

The story: Todd is a very sick man.

He has been receiving experimental treatment for his illness, but things aren't going well.

Alongside him is his faithful dog, Indy.

When Todd decides he needs to get away, he takes Indy out to his grandfather's old house in the woods.

There, many strange things happen to the point that the whole experience is a completely terrifying one for Indy.

No matter what happens out there though, Indy stays by Todd's side, always guarding and watching over him with his life.

Stars Indy the dog, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden, Max the dog , (voice) Anya Krawcheck, (voice) Stuart Rudin , Hunter Goetz, Noah Manzoor

Directed by Ben Leonburg

Rated PG13

THRILLER/MYSTERY/HORROR