Monday 27 February 2012

Film: John Carpenter's The Ward



The once mighty Master Of Horror John Carpenter returns from a lengthy absence with this haunted hospital effort.

Amber Heard plays Kristen, a young woman tortured by her past who ends up detained in the hospital after she burns down the house where she was held captive.

She soon meets the other residents and often encounters a shadowy figure lurking in the background. When girls begin to disappear Kristen decides to find out exactly who the ghoulish figure is.

Some nifty frights help hide the fact that this is a very lacklustre movie from the man behind classic horrors Halloween and The Fog as well as the much under-rated In The Mouth Of madness and the glorious Big Trouble In Little China.

The eerie atmosphere and the fact that it is a Carpenter film make this just about bearable although the hackneyed “twist” at the end almost completely ruins any remaining credibility.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy

3 comments:

  1. I'm glad I watched this at work because it was not very good. I can't remember the last time Carpenter made a really good film.

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  2. I'm a fan of both Carpenter and Amber but I didn't like this one at all. It was a mess... a big and dumb one.

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  3. Such a pity as his films really were brilliant. Alex, I'll admit I enjoyed Vampires!

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