Review of The Ward

As a big fan of horror and also of John Carpenter, I was very much looking forward to 'The Ward'. The first half of the film is a typical set up for a creepy 'ghost in the hospital' film, but is made less enjoyable by all the mental hospital clichés. There's the stubborn old nurse (always with her pills and syringe), the electric shock treatment and multiple lines like "I'm not crazy" (which, of course, nobody believes). It's nothing we haven't seen before. Also, the trouble with having a slow first half is that the second half seems to address the failure to create any real tension or mystery and therefore turns to more action-filled slasher territory. This is when the film became more enjoyable. It feels like Carpenter has returned to the big screen with some fun traditional horror, as characters sneak through air vents, get murdered one by one in brutal (yet still too mild for real gore hounds) and creative ways and the story of the ghost is finally revealed. On top of that, the ghost is incredibly creepy and remains frightening throughout the whole film. Some scenes are very tense, the film is filled with 'jump!' moments and many shots of that darkened corridor (with rain, thunder and lightning outside too, obviously). The acting is okay, the score is fairly creepy (though it's no 'Halloween') and the script's only big let down is it's desperate twist ending, which is more silly than it is clever. However, it all adds up to make a neat little horror flick that isn't perfect -nor the scariest or most imaginative film ever- but is a nice change from the ton of remakes that are spilling into our cinemas at the moment. Overall, an average horror film, but enjoyable none the less. Don't take it too seriously, don't expect to be petrified or vomit at the gore, but expect an entertaining bit of easy old-school horror from a master of the genre.