Connect with us
John Carpenter Spotlight

Film

John Carpenter’s ‘The Ward’ is void of any of his Signature Style

John Carpenter Spotlight

Acclaimed director John Carpenter stated that his feature The Ward is an old-school horror movie made by an old-school director. His long-awaited (and final) return to the screen was clearly pushing for something that combines a ’60s horror-thriller with a contemporary psychological tragedy, but what he ended up creating came across as a lackluster made-for-TV remake of Shutter Island. Sorry folks but as much as we love John Carpenter’s movies, The Ward was (and still is) a huge disappointment.

The Ward takes place in North Bend, Oregon in 1966 and stars Amber Heard as Kristen, a disturbed young woman admitted into a psychiatric hospital for torching a local barn. Kirsten’s therapist, Dr. Stringer (Jared Harris), tries to uncover the root cause of her breakdown and she soon realizes there are dark forces at work at the hospital. As her fellow patients begin to disappear, she begins to uncover the secret behind a ghostly presence that terrorizes them. Persistent and curious, she searches for answers only to quickly realize no one ever leaves the ward alive.

Regardless if you love John Carpenter (as I do) or not, The Ward brings nothing new to the genre and is a complete and utter disappointment. Jammed full of clichés that just keep on coming, Carpenter rehashes more tired horror movie conventions than the mid-90’s teen slasher films. Lacking in suspense and genuine atmospheric moments, The Ward is generic, half baked, and plagued with cheap scares and bargain-basement effects. It also boasts an incredibly inane (M. Knight-like) twist and your typical Wait Until Dark final jump before the credits roll.

Even worse, Carpenter aims for a PG-13 film designed to appeal to teenage girls and boys who think Twilight is a good movie. There is not one appealing character; they’re all stereotypes (the rebel, the geek, the brain, the jock, and the sexy girl), and all, of course, exceptionally good looking. The cast looks bored, never crazy, and all deliver laugh-out-loud performances while garishly bickering with each other. There’s a lot of running down empty corridors, figures appearing out of focus in the background, lights flickering and more running around.

Based on a not-so-original screenplay by Michael & Shawn Rasmussen, The Ward is void of any of John Carpenter’s signature style, so much so that if you remove his name from the credits, no one would ever have to know that a director considered such an icon could demonstrate so little control. Even Hitchcock came up short on occasion, but, unfortunately, Carpenter walked away from directing after making this film, leaving fans wishing to this day that he made one final masterpiece to end his career on a high note. One can only hope…

Kyle Reese

Written By

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Trending

Ghostface Killah Sets Long-Awaited Classic “Supreme Clientele” Sequel Release Date & It’s Closer Than You Think

Celebrity

Kendrick Lamar Beats Drake For Album Of The Year At The BET Awards

Celebrity

Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Doesn’t Consider A Key Rogue One Relationship Canon

Film

Simon Guobadia Reportedly Deported To Nigeria After Porsha Williams Drama

Celebrity

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed for Fifth and Final Season

Film

Fat Joe accused of sex acts with minors in $20 million lawsuit filed by former hype man, rapper denies allegations

Celebrity

Tyler Perry Pops Out At Beyonce Show In Paris Amid Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Celebrity

The Met’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ Reframes Ancient Tragedy Through the Lens of Propaganda

Film

Lil Wayne “Tha Carter VI” Review

Celebrity

Silento Breaks Silence After Getting Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For Killing His Cousin

Celebrity

F1 Review: Brad Pitt’s Sports Drama Has Exciting Racing Scenes And A Bloated Runtime

Film

Trippie Redd Reportedly Arrested In Miami For Mysterious Reasons

Celebrity

Eminem’s Stalker Gets Lengthy Prison Sentence For Home Invasion

News

15 Best Military Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Film

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Review: The Best Trek In Decades Doesn’t Miss A Beat

Film

Mello Buckzz’s Boyfriend Shot-&-Killed During Her Mixtape Release Party

News

Connect