Oh, John...John...what happened? You are one of the best genre directors who ever lived! How could you direct this miserable piece of garbage? You're breaking my heart, John! I know you can do better! *sigh* Oh well...John Carpenter's The Ward is an abysmal movie that leaves you confused, outraged, and depressed over the decline of one of horror's greatest auteurs. The film is a member of the insane asylum subgenre (i.e. Session 9, The Brood, Shutter Island). And, really, insane asylum horror films were cliched over a decade ago. The Ward brings absolutely nothing new to the table and plays like a highlight reel of subgenre cliches. The film follows a young woman named Kristen who is committed to an asylum after burning down a barn. Of course, the asylum is full of wacky and cooky inmates and a carbon clone of Nurse Ratched. Any resistance is met with Thorazine injections and electroshock therapy. One by one, the girls start to disappear, falling prey to a mysterious ghost/corpse/zombie/spirit named Alice who won't let them leave. Folks, this film is stupid. At first, it's so bad that you can genuinely enjoy how terrible it is. But then it has to go and indulge in one of the all-time worst plot twists that I have ever seen. I...I need to go lie down and watch In the Mouth of Madness and remind myself that there was a time when John Carpenter's name was synonymous with great cinema.
Official Score: 2/10
So Bad It's Good Score: 5/10
I heard that The Ward was bad before but it is still a shame that Carpenter has had such a fall. I don't plan on seeing this one, maybe after I watch all his other films just for completion's sake.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I saw this film was because I am a completionist and I've seen the rest of his films. It was SUCH a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if I'll be rating it as low as you have but I agree that the movie was a big time disappointment. However, I believe Carpenter still has the touch and will make another great film when the right script comes along. This one felt like cold leftovers.
ReplyDeleteYeah...I still have hope that Carpenter will one day return to his former glory.
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