The Ward

"The Ward" marks the return of John Carpenter to directing after a near 10 year hiatus after "Ghosts of Mars." "The Ward" represents the kind of film Carpenter does best...a spooky, shadowy supernatural thriller with an unknown force stalking victims at an insane asylum. It's also an old-fashioned ghost story done with class, style, and the director's signature pannache. I am definitely a Carpenter fan. He uses an economy of storytelling that I find refreshing especially in this era of excess where, especially in the horror genre, where directors believe more is more, not less. "The Ward" tells the story of a young woman, played extremely well by Amber Heard< who wakes up in an asylum after torching a house, although she has no recollection as to why or what brought her to the asylum. Her unit id filled with disturbed teens, all there for various reasons...presided over by a mysterious psychiatrist (played with Hitchcockian murkiness by Jarred Harris). The asylum has also had a rash of "disappearances" committed by a disfigured woman whom we only get passing flashes of, who is offing the young women. Heard is dtermined to find out not only what brought her to the asylum, but who or what is stalking them all before she is claimed as the next victim.Carpenter does not break new ground here, but he clearly demonstrates his skill as a filmmaker as the film has a polish and is often genuinely scary. I jumped many times in watching "The Ward" and I also admired the excellent performances by all, especially Heard (makes a gutsy heroine) and Harris, whose casting track record makes him a perfect choice for the role as we are not certain as to whether he is naughty or nice. Carpenter does not rely on gratuitous gore (though he does not shy from gore either), but rather creepy cinematography, an eerie score, and strong acting and directing. "The Ward" is a quality thriller, much better than most of what passes for horror these days, and Carpenter deftly pulls a surprise ending (I didn't see it coming anyway) that works quite well.The bluray presentation is excellent. Colors are well saturated and the film's grain structure remains in tact giving the movie a wonderful, filmic texture. There is no evidence of DNR, aliasing, banding, or any other pitfalls or attempts at artifically sharpening the film. This renders some terrific details, especially the truly creepy make-up effects by KNB. The soundtrack is mastered in DTS-HD MA 5.1 and it is a stellar listen. Every clap of thunder ans burst of music on the soundtrack sounds pristine. Dialogue is crisp and well-prioritized. Sound effects are terrifically detailed, only adding to the film's creepiness. I have heard the SD version is a rather lousy print, so BD is the only way to go here to appreciate the film."The Ward" heralds Carpenter's return to form. He has given us a classy ghost story. It's scary and well-made. This is a great movie to rent and watch with your girlfriend on a Saturday night to get her to grab on to you for protection. I greatly enjoyed the film, and for Carpenter fans, it is a must-own.

So, the wait for horror fans is over...and some are less than happy. Some however are pleased as punch.As you probably already know, The Ward is about a young lady brought to a sanitarium in the late 60s after she has torched a farmhouse. On the ward she meets a few other young women, and begins to have visions of a zombie-like woman. The other girls seem to know more about this ghostly woman than they let on, and of course the staff are no help, so it's up to our heroine to get to the bottom of this bucket of clams. What she finds out just may or may not surprise you.I guess the problem here is that so much time has passed since Carpenter made a feature film that expectations have been growing unexpectedly high over the years. Sure, psycho wards and ghostly girls(or even a combination of the two) seem to pop up a lot in horror movies anymore. Carpenter's in a bad position having made so many groundbreaking films that set the standard for the modern horror film. How do you continue this trend? Today, Carpenter has to compete with six thousand substandard horror movies that have all pretty much owe their existence to his movies. He's been ripped off and remade so many times that he's now competing with watered down and Hollywoodized John Carpenter wannabees! So, yeah, I'm sure it's an uphill battle if he's trying to regain his former status. I suppose the best thing he can do is just make a good John Carpenter movie.With The Ward I think he pretty much does that. His style is present, but not as much as in the past. Is it mind blowing? Amazing? No, not at all. But it is a good, solid movie in the vein of his In The Mouth Of Madness, though personally I feel not nearly as good as that film.Definitely worth a look. Carpenter deserves that at least, right?

A magnificent return to form from John Carpenter, a wholly original story, consistent and creepy tone, with decent performances steer this film into classic territory. It's a handsome, sturdily-crafted genre film, and an effective yarn that, until the very end, cloaks its true nature suspensefully. In some ways, John Carpenter's The Ward distinguishes itself most by what it is not, rather than what it is.There's no doubt this is a different Carpenter than we have seen in some time. For all their respective virtues, Vampires (1998) and even the beloved Ghosts of Mars (2001) featured at least some sense of cheesiness or cheeky humor. Not The Ward. This film is stripped down, efficient, and serious.I recommend this title to anyone that enjoys a paranormal/psychological thriller that's full of emotion. It's clearly a must-own for people's collections.As for the Blu-ray's specs;Picture: 4.5 - The image's slight grain is intact and the colors are simply gorgeous. Carpenter's use of lighting and such is a big plus and is translated very well.Audio: 4.5 - The film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is filled rich, crisp sounds and the dialog comes across as being dynamically clear.Extras: 2.5 - Not much other than a trailer and some commentary.Overall, a nice addition to the Blu-ray library and a sign that Carpenter still has the "touch".

- Brings happy memories back, Halloween of ....... my age you'll never knowwww- DVD was in working condition- Packaging was great- Watched several times to this day

No se porque mucha gente no le entendió pero, el twist del final es bastante original.

very good movie, bran new great condition

Loved it. :)

The item came really fast, in perfect condition.Everything is as described. The story is great - real classic madhouse horror,picture quality is perfect.100 % entertainment.The price is cheap, but that's hard-to-find title so, don't hesitate - BUY IT NOW!