John Carpenter
The Ward

LA RECENSIONE

Anarchic, unconventional, against Hollywood's publicity logic, provocative, a fan of the "low budget," restless, genius, madman: simply John Carpenter, the filmmaker behind works such as "Halloween," "The Thing," and "In the Mouth of Madness."

A name not particularly loved in Hollywood circles, always sparking debate due to his "bare-bones" and provocative films, with that subtle critique of American society that has earned him far more enemies than friends. His last effort was in 2001 with "Ghosts of Mars," which wasn't particularly thrilling. Ten years later, Carpenter has returned to the big screen with "The Ward," after directing two episodes for the television series "Masters of Horror."

There was much anticipation for the return of a true master of horror like Carpenter, but to be honest, the film in question does not satisfy all those who expected a "John" in top form. Frankly, even hoping for Carpenter's "touch," there were already doubts upon reading the script (crafted by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen). Unfortunately, the plot is one that's been seen dozens and dozens of times, and in better forms: Kristen (Amber Heard) ends up in a psychiatric hospital without any particular reason and finds herself surrounded by girls who seem to be hiding something. The same goes for the hospital itself, which, as per the genre's horror norm, is consistently "haunted" by a strange presence.

Halfway between an easy ghost story and a psychological thriller, "The Ward" stands out solely for some scenes (particularly the one where the power goes out and the shower sequence), without being notable for other particularities. The noose that tightens around Carpenter's film is the lack of originality of the plot, as if the filmmaker from Carthage wanted to wink at the general audience and distance himself from that "monster" aura of the Hollywood machine. A move that contributes to making the film particularly anonymous, despite the eerie location and the formal perfection of every single shot.

A story already seen (some have described it as "Shutter Island in a female version"), beautiful but not particularly talented actresses, and a script that is interesting but flat and utterly devoid of effective points. All this makes "The Ward" a poorly realized work, even considered a failure for a cinema man like John Carpenter.