'PENELOPE' (2026) Review: Fiona Rene Is a Delightfully Deranged Undead Misfit in Her Wickedly Funny Directorial Debut
By Seth Metoyer | More Horror
Some people procrastinate on laundry, bills, or cleaning the house. Penelope procrastinates on raising an army of the undead. For 665 days, to be exact. And when your father happens to be the Lord of the Underworld, that's probably going to make for one hell of an awkward family reunion.
Making her film directorial debut, Fiona Rene (Tracker, The Lincoln Lawyer) also stars in PENELOPE, a wonderfully twisted little horror comedy written by Heston Horwin. It follows an eccentric undead young woman who wakes up on the 666th day of a very important assignment. Her father sent her to the surface to assemble an army of undead soldiers, promising to retire and hand over control of the Shadow Realm once she completes her mission. There's just one problem. She slept through almost the entire thing.
Now she has a single day to pull together an army worthy of Hell, and her recruitment strategy is about as sophisticated as you'd expect from someone who affectionately talks to a baby pigeon and considers sleeping a legitimate personality trait.
First, Fiona Rene is absolutely hilarious as Penelope. She's bright, bubbly, wonderfully awkward, and ridiculously adorable, even when she's casually turning people into undead servants with the snap of her fingers. There's an almost childlike enthusiasm to everything she does, and Rene plays the character with such infectious energy that I found myself smiling through most of the film. She's basically a walking contradiction, an undead creature of darkness who acts like she's perpetually excited about her first day at summer camp.
Visually, the film has that unmistakable Tim Burton flavor, particularly the playful gothic weirdness of Beetlejuice, with a little Lisa Frankenstein thrown into the mix. Everything feels just slightly removed from reality, with colorful characters, exaggerated performances, and a morbid sense of humor that embraces the ridiculousness of its premise. Rene clearly understands the world she's creating, and her direction gives the film a cohesive personality.
The supporting characters also provide plenty of laughs. Penelope's desperate recruitment drive includes an angry neighbor who starts throwing around accusations about Satanism, Christianity, and being un-American, along with a couple of stoners who quickly discover that insulting the daughter of the Underworld might be a poor life decision.
There's some genuinely funny social commentary scattered throughout, particularly when Penelope's father finally arrives to inspect his daughter's rather pathetic military accomplishment. His disappointment includes a few hilarious political observations, and his eventual demand for more Republicans in the undead army got a laugh out of me. The satire fits naturally into this bizarre little universe, with the film taking playful shots at cultural attitudes and human behavior along the way.
Ethan Flower is also terrific as Penelope's demanding father, a ruler of Hell who's apparently reached the point in his immortal existence where he'd rather retire, pursue taxidermy, and do some traveling than continue managing the Underworld. Honestly, after an eternity of dealing with humanity, I can understand the appeal.
But there's another side to PENELOPE that caught me by surprise.
Penelope's interactions with Robbie (Mason Conrad), a gloomy young man living next door, introduce a surprisingly sweet element to the story. Robbie has his own struggles with life, parental expectations, and finding his place in the world. Their conversations are hilariously awkward, particularly as Penelope attempts to hide her increasingly obvious crush on him.
There's something genuinely touching about the fact that Penelope, who can turn people into undead followers almost effortlessly, seems particularly interested in keeping Robbie among the living. Their connection gives the film some emotional weight, and Conrad's wonderfully understated performance provides a perfect counterbalance to Rene's manic energy.
That relationship also ties into the film's larger theme of parental approval. Penelope desperately wants to make her father proud, even though she clearly has her own ideas about life, death, and what actually matters. When her father begins lecturing her about the value mortals place on their limited existence, the story reveals a surprisingly thoughtful perspective underneath all the absurdity.
There's a recognizable human experience buried in this supernatural comedy. Penelope wants validation from a parent whose expectations seem impossible to satisfy, and she's slowly discovering that her own happiness might involve something entirely different from the future he has planned for her. It's a clever way to explore the complicated relationship between parental expectations and personal identity, especially through a character who has literally had centuries to figure herself out and still seems completely lost.
For a short film running just over twelve minutes, PENELOPE packs in an impressive amount of personality. Horwin's screenplay is clever, the performances are consistently entertaining, and Rene demonstrates a strong sense of comedic timing both in front of and behind the camera. For her film directorial debut, it's an impressive achievement. The production looks great, and the humor feels perfectly suited to this peculiar little corner of the horror universe.
I really enjoyed this one. It has the charm of an offbeat gothic comedy, a wonderfully strange leading character, some sharp satire, and just enough heart to make you care about what happens to Penelope beyond her latest attempt to impress Daddy Dearest.
And seriously, I'd happily watch Fiona Rene play this character again. There's enough personality here to make me curious about what other disasters Penelope could unleash if someone gave her a little more time. I'd also love to see what Rene does next behind the camera. If PENELOPE is any indication, she has a real knack for finding the funny side of the macabre.
On a personal note, I've followed Fiona Rene's career for well over a decade and have interacted with her occasionally over the years. Somehow, it took writing this review for me to discover that she was born in Great Falls, Montana, which happens to be my hometown as well. Small world! It's a fun little connection to discover after all these years, and it makes seeing her bring such a wonderfully strange character to life even more enjoyable.
The Verdict: A charming, darkly funny, and unexpectedly heartfelt horror comedy that finds the humor in family dysfunction, undead recruitment, and the eternal struggle to make your parents proud. Fiona Rene is an absolute riot, and her film directorial debut makes a convincing case for more Penelope.
PENELOPE (2026)
Director: Fiona ReneWriter: Heston HorwinProducer: Michelle CraigStarring: Fiona Rene, Ethan Flower, Mason ConradRuntime: 12 minutes, 30 secondsGenre: Horror / Dark Comedy / Short Film
