John Carpenter is a legend among horror fans. He's the man behind classics like Halloween, The Thing, The Fog and the underseen gem Prince of Darkness. But Carpenter's had a bit of a dry spell lately, so it was with hesitation that I made my way out to The Ward.
Austin native Amber Heard stars as Kristen, a troubled youth we find burning down a house in the film's intriguing opening moments. When she's hauled off to a psychiatric ward, she's greeted by a host of girls, each a little crazier than the last, who, little by little, reveal information about the girls who preceded Kristen. Naturally, terror strikes and the secrets of the ward must be brought to light.
There are some nice Carpenter touches to the film, like some great lengthy tracking and crane shots, as well as some genuinely claustrophobic moments, but the jump scares are far too predictable and the ending too overwrought to recommend wholeheartedly. There's a lot of cliché dialogue, and Heard keeps a straight face while the rest of the girls seem to be winking at the camera, so it feels a little unbalanced. On the plus side, The Ward never takes itself too seriously, which is nice given that it's already difficult enough to buy Danielle Panabaker and Amber Heard in a film set in the 1960s. There are plenty of really funny moments, most of them intentional, and you could certainly do a lot worse if you had to see a fright flick with a bunch of friends. It's more of a popcorn movie than The Thing or Halloween are, but that's definitely not a bad thing. It just feels a little disappointing knowing what Carpenter's capable of.
At the end of the night, my trip to The Ward was one I was glad I had taken, even if I'm not dying to go back again soon. And if you miss it in theaters, it'll be a perfect rental for a late night with some good friends.
