A movie that should be locked in an asylum for none to see.
Released: 2010
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
I have lots of respect for John Carpenter - he not only makes films in one of my favorite genres, but the original "Halloween" managed to single-handedly (single-maskedly?) revolutionize horror movies with its near-perfect mix of jolting jump-scares and subtle, slow burn chills. Carpenter is undeniably an icon of the genre, weaving tales that thrill with an expert precision and skill honed from years of experience, so of course anytime one of his films is available for my immediate enjoyment, I spring on the opportunity to check it out. Every now and then, I accidentally spring onto a landmine, and I instantly regret my blind faith. "The Ward" is one such landmine, simultaneously exploding with both abrasive sound and noxious stench. The movie plays out like a clumsy mash-up of other, better films' themes: part supernatural horror, part psychological thriller, part dark mystery, and part steaming dog turd; unfortunately, it only manages to effectively pull off the latter genre. A creep-out moment or two occasionally manages to feebly rear its head, but these are so few and far between that their appearances aren't nearly potent enough to outweigh the utter slop that needs to be waded through to get to them. The movie's climactic twist is built up to shock and awe, yet the poor execution of just about everything within this film means it falls flatter than any twist Carpenter has ever contrived before. Add in a completely unconvincing and vapid performance by lead Amber Heard, and this landmine has transformed into an outrageously pungent fart-bomb. "The Ward" ends up as an ugly and bottom-tier offering from one of the horror genre's legends, and should be avoided by both long-time Carpenter die-hards, as well as by anyone with a fraction of common sense.
Rating (out of 5): 1.5
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