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The Ward

Play trailer Poster for The Ward R 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 07/11/2011
An aggressively plain spook story that favors jump moments over sustained tension and winds up falling back on a particularly tired twist. Go to Full Review Scott Tobias NPR 07/08/2011
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. Go to Full Review Joe Neumaier New York Daily News 07/08/2011
1/5
Carpenter's economical but mundane chiller is possessed more by previous ghoul-friend flicks than it is by his better work. Go to Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 9
3/5
Proof that John Carpenter can elevate even the most mundane experience. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 03/11/2023
2/4
A far cry from Carpenter’s glory days. Go to Full Review Shelagh Rowan-Legg That Shelf 05/15/2018
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ian S @RT48225084 3d One of John Carpenter's worst movies and his most recent one Familiar story line, hit and miss acting, some nice set designs but even Jared Harris can't elevate this material. Quite dull. If this is the best Carpenter can produce, he should stay retired now. The glory days of Carpenter's 80's output seems like ancient history now. Pity that he peaked so early. See more Ron S. @RT12345102 May 29 A so underrated movie. It is a good jump scare movie. See more Walter K @RT43715815 Sep 24 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. See more Erik B @Atma-X 08/05/2025 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. See more Odessa B. @odessasnow22 07/01/2025 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. See more Dallas H @RT53171010 06/17/2025 They are gaslighting Amber Heard. See more 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) 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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