Review of The Ward (2010) by Alex R — 24 Dec 2012

Horror master John Carpenter has been absent for quite some time. This is his first directorial effort since Ghosts of Mars which was released in 2001. This is a film that had the potential of being a terrific supernatural horror movie.

However this happens to be a dull, bland and unimpressive affair. John Carpenter, who is one of most legendary of horror directors, crafts a film that is formulaic and predictable. This had a very promising start, but in the end it fails to really grab your attention and it focuses more on delivering cheap scares and boring, not so well written dialogue.

Carpenter has done far better work than this in the supernatural genre and he proved that with 1980's The Fog. The Ward is a mediocre movie that leaves horror fans wanting more out of their experience.

I think John Carpenter can deliver a better film if he really puts his mind to it. This was disappointing affair, and I expected something much better than this. This is just a case of being an undeveloped horror picture that could have been fun and entertaining.

However, Carpenter doesn't deliver and it just doesn't stand out among his other works. This film makes Ghosts of Mars look great by comparison and if I had to pick one of the worst that John Carpenter has made, it would have to be this one.

As a horror film, it is void of effective scares that can leave you on the edge of your seat till the final frame. The Ward, given a rewrite or two could have worked well enough and be a fine return to form of Carpenter's early days.

But I'm still waiting on him to create a more refined picture that will bring back the quality that his fans expect from such a unique talent.