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The Ward

Release Date 21 Jan 2011 21 Jun 2011

  • User rating
  • Currently 2/5 Stars.
  • Critic rating
  • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  80% of raters want to see this movie

Certificate: 16

Genre: Family | Suspense | Thriller

Welcome to North Bend Psychiatric Hospital, an isolation ward for disturbed women that holds a terrifying secret. Kristen, a beautiful but volatile young woman finds herself bruised, cut, drugged and held against her will at the sinister asylum. Trying to gain control of her memory and figure out how she got there, Kristen discovers that a savage ghostly figure roams the halls at night. One by one, the other patients begin to disappear. To survive, Kristen must discover the horrifying truth of the ward.

Cast:
Amber Heard | Danielle Panabaker | Mamie Gummer | Lyndsy Fonseca | Jared Harris | Mika Boorem | Sydney Sweeney | Laura-Leigh | Milos Milicevic | Sean Cook

Writers:
Michael Rasmussen | Shawn Rasmussen | Jim Agnew | Sean Keller

Producers:

Directors:
John Carpenter

  • Critic rating
  • Currently 2/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

JOHN CARPENTER’S THE WARD (USA/16/88mins) **

Directed by John Carpenter. Starring Amber Heard, Jared Harris, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh, Lyndsy Fonseca.

THE PLOT: Finding herself in a psychiatric lock-up after burning down a farmhouse, Kristen (Heard) suffers both from flashbacks to a basement hell, and has to contend with the fact that, one by one, her four fellow nuthouse inmates are disappearing.

THE VERDICT: The legendary John Carpenter (Halloween, Assault On Precinct 13) returns to the big screen after a nine-year absence with this short, sharp slice of schlock horror. Unfortunately, the script (by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen) is a little too schlocky, Carpenter’s presence felt only in the occasional visual flourish.

 

Review by Paul Byrne

  • Avg User rating
  • Currently 2/5 Stars.

User Reviews

    • Currently 3/5 Stars.

    vu1999uk

    Enjoyable horror flick with the always watchable Amber Herad leading the good cast well. A bit short on scares though but a great finale with a twist that makes sense (rare for a horror movie) gets the film it's third star.

    • Currently 2/5 Stars.

    mart

    Genre veteran John Carpenter's sleekly professional ghost story is well-acted and directed but sadly derivative. Horror fans have seen it all before

    • Currently 2/5 Stars.

    ducter

    Not a bad way to pass the time..Not a real 'shocker' and this is not the best of John carpenter..Keep alert so when its finished you can understand what it was all about...

    • Currently 4/5 Stars.

    annapmurphy

    Thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Back to the original horrors, lots of jumps and lots of atmosphere. Some of the jumps you can see coming but somehow that makes them even more scary!

    • Currently 1/5 Stars.

    The_Dystopian

    Unremarkable direction, overstylized, middling-to-poor performances and cheap jump scares. Oh, Carpenter, what happened to you?!

    • Currently 3/5 Stars.

    WildRose86

    Enjoyable easy going horror flick. Girl in mental home has the crazies. Imagines a ghoul going about after her, killing all. Fairly prediactabe, but still a good story. Funny ghoul moment involving a window! Rawr!

    • Currently 4/5 Stars.

    andyparhelia

    John Carpenter is back after a 10 year absence and it seems the break has done him good! This film harks back to Carpenter's roots, it's a simple slasher movie, well directed, reasonably well acted and with plenty of scares and kills. The setting of The Ward, a mental asylum set in the 60's, is full of atmosphere (particularly at night) and you'll spot Nurse Lunt immediately with more than a passing nod to One Flew Over The Cuckoos nest. Plenty going on in this movie, 100 times better than the current schlock that passes as horror (Saw 3D anyone?) - well worth a look for fans of the genre.

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