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The Ward

Play trailer Poster for The Ward R Released Jul 8, 2011 1h 28m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
34% Tomatometer 73 Reviews 26% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
No one believes the claims of a young woman (Amber Heard) that a dead patient is stalking the residents of the psychiatric facility.
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The Ward

The Ward

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Critics Consensus

Lacking the hallmarks of his best work, The Ward proves to be a disappointingly mundane swan song for director John Carpenter.

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Critics Reviews

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William Goss Film.com An aggressively plain spook story that favors jump moments over sustained tension and winds up falling back on a particularly tired twist. Jul 11, 2011 Full Review Scott Tobias NPR Carpenter has made his approximation of a cheap, twisty, shock-filled modern horror movie, and he has lost all but faint sighs of his minimalist swagger in the process. Jul 8, 2011 Full Review Joe Neumaier New York Daily News Carpenter's economical but mundane chiller is possessed more by previous ghoul-friend flicks than it is by his better work. Rated: 1/5 Jul 8, 2011 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Proof that John Carpenter can elevate even the most mundane experience. Rated: 3/5 Sep 9, 2025 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review A far cry from Carpenter’s glory days. Rated: 2/4 Mar 11, 2023 Full Review Shelagh Rowan-Legg That Shelf The problem with Carpenter is that...he is too good for this kind of material. No one has mastered it better than he has, and while he certainly doesn't "phone it in," so to speak, this kind of film doesn't present enough of a challenge for him. May 15, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Walter K Plain and simple - - i didn't care about any of the characters and there were, simply, too many jump scares, which, to me, is the killer of tension and suspense. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/24/25 Full Review Erik B Mr. Carpenter...why? Why are you attached to this awful movie? Horrible acting on display for the most part and a very predictable storyline and ending. Did not enjoy, would not buy again. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/05/25 Full Review Odessa B. It was okay. The beginning was good but towards the end got confusing and left you thinking something, then had a terrible ending. It was fun to watch but probably never watch it again. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/01/25 Full Review Dallas H They are gaslighting Amber Heard. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/18/25 Full Review Denise K I liked it a lot! The end was a nice twist! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/25 Full Review Mobi C Look, if they cant get out, how are they always getting out? A knife in a lock gets them out of a locked ward? Toilet paper in the latches and the staff cant tell the doors not locked? The story doesn't add up to whats happening. But hey, pretty girls makes it watchable. Definitely not worth 3 stars. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Ward

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Cast & Crew

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John Carpenter

Director

Amber Heard

Kristen

Danielle Panabaker

Sarah

Lyndsy Fonseca

Iris

Laura-Leigh

Zoey

Mamie Gummer

Emily

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The Ward

The Ward (2010) The Ward (2010) The Ward (2010) The Ward (2010) The Ward (2010) The Ward (2010) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis No one believes the claims of a young woman (Amber Heard) that a dead patient is stalking the residents of the psychiatric facility.
Director
John Carpenter
Producer
Peter Block, Doug Mankoff, Mike Marcus, Andrew Spaulding
Screenwriter
Michael Rasmussen, Shawn Rasmussen
Distributor
ARC Entertainment
Production Co
Premiere Picture, Echo Lake Productions, FilmNation Entertainment, Bigger Boat
Rating
R (Violence|Disturbing Images)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 8, 2011, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2016
Runtime
1h 28m
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