THE WARD (John Carpenter)

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I know, right. John Carpenter. Big name. You'd have lots of expectations, as if it was an action film by John Woo, or a drama by Stephen Frears.

The big problem with THE WARD is that it has a lot of precedents, and I am not talking about the horror genre alone. SHUTTER ISLAND and GOTHIKA comes into mind while watching this shallow horror movie, and bits and pieces of GIRL, INTERRUPTED occasionally come in. 

There's just so many references to women locked up in mental facilities in the history of cinema that THE WARD pales in comparison. For starters, the women locked up in THE WARD looks normal; there wasn't enough effort at least so we'd believe that they are indeed mentally challenged. The administering of medicines is also done wrong. What we are left is a ghost story that maybe isn't a ghost story.   

And yes, the film's twist is tacky and recycled. Think James Mangold's IDENTITY.

RATING: 2/5 

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