The Ward poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Amber Heard, Danielle Panabaker, Mamie Gummer, Lyndsy Fonseca, Laura Leigh ... see more see more... , Jared Harris , Sali Sayler , Susanna Burney , Dan Anderson , Sean Cook , Jillian Kramer , Mark Chamberlin , Andrea Petty , Tracey Schornick , Kent Kimball , Joseph O'Shaugnessy , Patrick Treadway , Bev Holsclaw , Sydney Sweeney , Mika Boorem

A thriller centered on an institutionalized young woman (Amber Heard) who becomes terrorized by a ghost. -- (C) Arc Entertainment

Flixster Users

27% liked it

9,997 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

67 critics

R, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: John Carpenter

Release Date: July 8, 2011

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 16, 2011

Stats: 930 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Susanna Burney The Ward The Ward The Ward
Upload a Photo | View All The Ward Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (930)

  • Deano78
    May 22, 2012
    Deano78
    Oh dear you have to expect more from John Carpenter than this. A straight to DVD horror that has a very low budget and more of a 12A rating feel to it. Not scary, a few jumpy scenes and that's it. Well at least it has Amber Heard in it, to make it more interesting!
  • MizturY0da
    April 8, 2012
    MizturY0da
    3 stars!
  • cosmo313
    March 4, 2012
    cosmo313
    With this film John Carpenter makes a return to directing feature films after a decade long hiatus in which he spent his time doing other things. Although it is nice to see him back in action, it's too bad his return isn't as awesome as it should have been.

    Where to start here? ... read moreWell, it takes place in Oregon in the mid 1960s and concerns a young woman named Kristin who is apprehended after burning down a farmhosue and taken to a mental hospital and admitted into a locked down ward for troubled young women. There's a really odd atmosphere to the place, and some really "off" stuff going on, and Kristin becomes determined to uncover the mystery behind a strange force that is seemingly stalking her and the other girls.

    Part mystery, part slasher, part supernatural goings on, with tons of psychological thrills and huge debts to both Identity and SHutter Island, The Ward is jammed packed with all sorts of stuff going on, and, while it is interesting, the plot really could have been a lot less cramemd and also better constructed and executed. There's some godo stuff that really works, but the bottom line is that the end result is rather lackluster and comes off not as a Carenter film, but as a film by someone trying to make a Carpenter film.

    There's a few moments of decent violence and gore though,and that's nice, and there are soem really well done scares and moments fo tension, but there's a few too many jump scares, so after a while they begin to lose their imapct. At least the camera wok and production values are decent. Also, while it does stick out, the song and dance scene is kinda fun and brings a welcome bit of levity to an otherwise gloomy affair.

    As far as acting goes, Amber HEard is okay in the lead, but I don';t think she's quite able to completely pull off some of the more emotionally challenging parts of the role. She's great at being strong and good looking though. I could have used more of Panabaker, as well as Fonseca, but those two do decently enough given their screentime.

    All in all, a fair, but ultimately average horror thriller. The twists aren't as gripping as they should have been (not too original), but the film is at least not boring. Still though, I hope Carpenter doesn't wait as logn to make another film. Not only that, let's hope it's a more compelling and stronger affair than this one.
  • axadntpron
    March 2, 2012
    axadntpron
    Come on Carpenter, you are better than this.
  • helpahorse
    January 13, 2012
    helpahorse
    It wasn't a terrible movie, but it did lack in originality. The twist in this movie has been done so many times; it wasn't even shocking.

    The jump scares are executed extremely well, but like all jump scares they don't last and are really cheap. The story line would be good, i... read moref I hadn't ever seen it before. Unfortunately, I can name at least a couple movies that share many of the plot characteristics in "The Ward". The predictability of this movie is outrageous. I knew exactly when there was going to be a jump scare because it would be a quiet scene with the music playing softly then all of a sudden BAM jump scare. Even though the jump scares were predictable, it still made me flinch....but that may be because I had the volume turned up too loud. Anyway, the plot itself was predictable, and really really unoriginal!

    *SPOILER*
    The movie is like a mix of Shutter Island (at the end: "we're not crazy, you are") and Identity (twist: MP disorder)...there's probably a lot more than that, but those two are the only ones that came to mind.

    The music was really really good in this movie though. I thought the music was genuinely creepy/eerie and contributed a lot to the ambience of the film. When I notice the music in film, it's either because it's really bad or really good. This music was sooo good. It creeped me out more than the movie itself.


    It wasn't the worst scary movie I've ever seen, but there was definitely room for improvement.
  • MovieGeek13
    November 23, 2011
    MovieGeek13
    John Carpenter's comeback film, The Ward, does not reflect the same director who gave us Halloween, The Fog, They Live, and The Thing. The Ward stumbles in almost every way straight to video films stumble, most obviously lazy filmmaking, poor acting, and even poorer writing.
    One ... read moreappeal of the horror genre is that most such films are made by indie directors, on low budgets with seemingly out of date equipment, and inexperienced but cheap actors. When such a film works, it's because the director is very resourceful, and has meticulously thought out the story, plot, and themes. When it fails, the result often invokes much unintentional laughter and a film that is so unbearably bad it almost never sees the light of day.
    Carpenter's new film shows that he is no longer as resourceful as he used to be. Not only did he choose a flawed script, he forgot to fix the problems. When a story works, the poor filmmaking is often forgiven. But when the story sucks, the poor filmmaking is even more apparent.
    What's the film about? Simply a girl who is admitted to a haunted psychiatric ward. There are only a handful of inmates with her, all becoming cannon fodder for the demon until the main character remains standing. But there is a twist, and the twist is so predictable, you see it coming before the halfway mark.
    The Ward is not eye-gouging bad, but it is instantly forgettable. It's only 85 minutes long, but it's 85 minutes you could have spent watching a much better movie. This is a half-assed approach to low budget horror, and the biggest problem with that - one John Carpenter should have been aware of - is that low budget filmmaking has to be anything but half-assed.
  • LWOODS04
    November 11, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh, Lyndsy Fonseca, Jared Harris, Sydney Sweeney, D.R. Anderson, Mika Boorem

    Director: John Carpenter

    Summary: Master of horror John Carpenter returns to form -- and to the director's chair -- for this chilling... read more thriller in which a young woman, Kristen (Amber Heard), is sent to a mental institution with a past as dark and haunted as her own. Terrorized by a ghost, each of the other patients in Kristen's ward begin to disappear, and that's just the beginning of her long nightmare. Jared Harris ("Mad Men") and Danielle Panabaker (Friday the 13th) also star.

    My Thoughts: "The film had some good scenes that made me jump, but it lacked the scares. The film is on the creepy side and holds the suspense until the end, which leaves you interested until the end. Amber Heard is good in this as well as her fellow ladies Lyndsy Fonseca, Danielle Panabaker and Mamie Gummer. I would say Laura Leigh too, but in all honesty her character Zoey annoyed the hell out of me with her child like attire and her baby voice. Now if that was what she was going for, then kudos to her she succeeded. I actually really enjoyed the movie even though you might be thinking "it's another scary flick in a psych ward", which yes it is, but this is John Carpenter, and he makes anything better. Even though this is by far not his greatest work. So expect the ending to maybe surprise you. Maybe I should have seen it coming, but instead of trying to figure the film out and pick it apart, I just set back and enjoyed a good little scary flick on a dark, cold, stormy California night. Good times. : )
  • CreedsDelight
    October 28, 2011
    CreedsDelight
    What the heck did I just watch...
  • blkbomb
    October 15, 2011
    blkbomb
    Sarah: If I were you I'd watch out, new girl. 

    "Only Sanity Can Keep You Alive."

    Well that we disappointing. John Carpenter's return to filmmaking has an odd feeling of amateurism. If this movie was made by a first time filmmaker then it would be passable, but coming from a hor... read moreror master like John Carpenter; it isn't. I think most of the amateur feeling comes from the fact that Carpenter didn't write the film, which was a big mistake. 

    The writing wasn't the only thing that was bad about this movie though, so the blame is still widely on Carpenter's shoulders. In a film like this, there has to be atmosphere and I don't believe there is enough of it. That's sad, because that should have been the easiest thing about making this movie. You're story is set in a psychiatric hospital, with a bunch of crazy people running around and a ghost killing people. How can't you make that atmospheric? I don't know how, but he managed to do it.

    The lack of atmosphere created a film which is in no way scary. So how do you still scare your audience when you are presenting a film that isn't creepy? You use a shit load of jump scares, and that is all Carpenter did. Except after the first one, those aren't even effective anymore because we see them coming 30 seconds before they happen. 

    If I can say anything good about this movie, it is that it looks good. The film has some nice cinematography and some pretty effective light work. That's all I have to say that is good about this film. But at least Carpenter is making movies again. Hopefully he can make a few more good ones because this was a piss poor psychological thriller disguised as a piss poor ghost story.
  • skactopus
    September 12, 2011
    skactopus
    John Carpenter steps behind the camera and fills The Ward with all the necessary elements of a good thriller.

    The weakest component of the film is the plot. At certain moments, the story does feel like a slow burn, but there aren't a whole lot of minutes that are wasted

    ... read more. As the picture progresses, pieces of the puzzle are strewn out before a finale is able to put them all together.

    The setting is an appropriate one for suspense and scares. As things unfold, it is clear that the scares take precedence over maintaining a good suspense level. The violence is bloody, although used in light moderation, and the makeup effects are nicely done and showcased at the right times.

    The characters are the highlight of this picture and the performances are there to back them up. Amber Heard is a delight to watch, along with the likes of Danielle Panabaker, Lyndsy Fonseca, Laura-Leigh, and Mamie Gummer.

    The Ward doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, but its characters help to make this an enjoyable watch and it is all done in under 90 minutes.

View All The Ward Reviews

Critic Reviews

William Goss
July 11, 2011
William Goss, Film.com

An aggressively plain spook story that favors jump moments over sustained tension and winds up falling back on a particularly tired twist. Full Review

Scott Tobias
July 8, 2011
Scott Tobias, NPR

Carpenter has made his approximation of a cheap, twisty, shock-filled modern horror movie, and he has lost all but faint sighs of his minimalist swagger in the process. Full Review

Colin Covert
July 8, 2011
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The horror master's first film in nine years is not the comeback we had wished. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
July 8, 2011
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

The shocks mostly consist of figures suddenly rising up in the background, or thunderclaps from a seemingly endless thunderstorm. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
July 8, 2011
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

Carpenter's economical but mundane chiller is possessed more by previous ghoul-friend flicks than it is by his better work. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
July 8, 2011
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

A dull, by-the-numbers psych-ward horror thriller that's sadly a lot closer in quality to "Sucker Punch" than "Shutter Island." Full Review

Robert Abele
July 8, 2011
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

"The Ward" is bland shock therapy from the guy who reinvented bloody peek-a-boo with the classic "Halloween." Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis
July 8, 2011
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

Continues the painful decline of a director who seems more nostalgic for past glories than excited about new ideas. Full Review

Wesley Morris
July 7, 2011
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

How depressing to discover that John Carpenter is the man running this operation. His talent for building and sustaining suspense has now warped into flaccid attempt at fright and ogling ringers for B... Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
July 6, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Basically, this is a ghost story merged with a slasher film and sealed with a Shutter Island twist. But at least Carpenter the spook-meister knows how to goose you. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Girl, Interrupted
    Girl, Interrupted (98%)
  • Red Eye
    Red Eye (96%)
  • Sucker Punch
    Sucker Punch (92%)
  • Ghosts of Mars
    Ghosts of Mars (50%)

More Movies like The Ward

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Kristen: We have to get out of here.
    • Kristen: I'm not crazy.
Submit a Fact | View All

The Ward : Watch Free on TV

The Ward Trivia

  • Which of the following actors never played Batman in the movies?  Answer »
  • This film involves patients of a psychic ward. It won Best Picture. As well Director Milos Forman,Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher won Oscars. Name the movie.  Answer »
  • In the Canadian movie, Bon Cop Bad Cop, what are the names of the two cops?  Answer »
  • In Pretty Woman, what is the name of the character Julia Roberts plays?  Answer »
More The Ward Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Ward. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All The Ward Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add The Ward to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View The Ward News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?