Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘The Ward’?
The Ward

The Ward (2011)

tomatometer

21

Average Rating: 4.1/10
Critic Reviews: 14
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 11

No consensus yet.

audience

26

liked it
Average Rating: 2.6/5
User Ratings: 9,366

My Rating

Movie Info

A thriller centered on an institutionalized young woman (Amber Heard) who becomes terrorized by a ghost. -- (C) Arc Entertainment

R, 1 hr. 26 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Horror

Michael Rasmussen, Shawn Rasmussen

Aug 16, 2011

Arc Entertainment

The Ward Trailer & Photos

More Photos (4)
More Trailers and Videos (4)

Cast

Critic Reviews for The Ward

All Critics (66) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (44) | DVD (3)

An aggressively plain spook story that favors jump moments over sustained tension and winds up falling back on a particularly tired twist.

July 11, 2011 Full Review Source: Film.com | Comment
William Goss
Film.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: NPR | Comment
Scott Tobias
NPR
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The horror master's first film in nine years is not the comeback we had wished.

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | Comment
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The shocks mostly consist of figures suddenly rising up in the background, or thunderclaps from a seemingly endless thunderstorm.

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | Comment
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Carpenter's economical but mundane chiller is possessed more by previous ghoul-friend flicks than it is by his better work.

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: New York Daily News | Comment
Joe Neumaier
New York Daily News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A dull, by-the-numbers psych-ward horror thriller that's sadly a lot closer in quality to "Sucker Punch" than "Shutter Island."

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: New York Post | Comment
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The Ward should send some chills down your spine, but it probably won't stay with you.

January 29, 2012 Full Review Source: IGN DVD | Comment
R. L. Shaffer
IGN DVD

The Ward, while not stellar by any means, is absolutely worth your time.

October 9, 2011 Full Review Source: Dread Central | Comment
Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton
Dread Central

The movie's fluidity of motion is intoxicating. It's hard to argue that the so-so material is up to [Carpenter's] highest standards, but it can also be easily forgiven, and even enjoyed.

September 2, 2011 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The master who gave us "Halloween," one of the most terrifying films of all time, can't provoke more than a chill in "The Ward."

September 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Comment
Jackie Loohauis
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By no means a perfect film, but Carpenter has an unparalleled gift for constructing a sequence.

July 18, 2011 Full Review Source: Ebert Presents At The Movies | Comment
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
Ebert Presents At The Movies Source: Ebert Presents At The Movies

This is rusty 'Ghost of Mars' John Carpenter, not 'The Thing' John Carpenter -- and certainly not 'Halloween' John Carpenter.

July 14, 2011 Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | Comment
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune

While a disappointment, The Ward is by no means a complete dud.

July 14, 2011 Full Review Source: Digital Spy | Comment
Ben Rawson-Jones
Digital Spy

Insanity you have to cooperate with.

July 11, 2011 Full Review Source: Monsters and Critics | Comment
Ron Wilkinson
Monsters and Critics

May be the first ever Carpenter film that isn't immediately recognizable as such.

July 10, 2011 Full Review Source: Film Blather | Comment
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

'Ward' Script Not Up to Carpenter's Standards

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: Boston Herald | Comment
James Verniere
Boston Herald

Genre veteran John Carpenter's sleekly professional ghost story is well-acted and directed but sadly derivative. Horror fans have seen it all before.

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: Film Journal International | Comment
Maitland McDonagh
Film Journal International

The combination of an excellent supporting cast and a pliable theme work to offset the sizable debits incurred by the often rote direction and seriously iffy ending.

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: Movieline | Comment
Michelle Orange
Movieline

If loud noises that turn out to be nothing are your bag, then you'll love John Carpenter's horror movie "The Ward."

July 8, 2011 Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | Comment
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Ward

View All

It wasn't a terrible movie, but it did lack in originality. The twist in this movie has been done so many times; it wasn't even shocking. The jump scares are executed extremely well, but like all jump scares they don't last and are really cheap. The story line would be good, if I hadn't ever seen it before.

October 24, 2011
Japes
J P

Super Reviewer

John Carpenter's comeback film, The Ward, does not reflect the same director who gave us Halloween, The Fog, They Live, and The Thing. The Ward stumbles in almost every way straight to video films stumble, most obviously lazy filmmaking, poor acting, and even poorer writing.One appeal of the horror genre is that most

November 23, 2011
MovieGeek13
E.J. Boxler

Super Reviewer

The Ward Quotes

View All

    1. Kristen: We have to get out of here.
    – Submitted by Chris P (7 months ago)
    1. Kristen: I'm not crazy.
    – Submitted by Chris P (7 months ago)

DVD

Top Rentals

25% Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Par...
83% Puss in Boots
94% Moneyball
59% Real Steel
84% Contagion
More…

New On DVD This Week

83% Puss in Boots
68% Tower Heist
90% Martha Marcy May Marlene
33% London Boulevard
17% The Son of No One
More…

Movies Like The Ward

Girl, Interrupted
Red Eye
Sucker Punch
View All

Latest News for The Ward

July 7, 2011:
Critics Consensus: Horrible Bosses is Certified Fresh
This week at the movies, we've got scheming employees (Horrible Bosses, starring Jason Bateman and...

June 10, 2011:
Five Favorite Films with John Carpenter
riter-director-producer-composer (and occasional actor) John Carpenter is a modern horror icon whose...

View All

What's Hot On RT

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray

Puss in Boots and J. Edgar

Best of the Best!
Best of the Best!

50 best-reviewed Best Picture nominees

Best Animation
Best Animation

Ranking the 75 best animated movies ever!

Oscar Ballot
Oscar Ballot

Download the official PDF!

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 19,010 taken
created 13 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 45,607 taken
created 16 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,762 taken
created 16 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 28,330 taken
created 15 months ago

Movie News

View All

Featured on RT

Comments

Top Headlines

Fresh Links

6 Unforgettable Oscar Speeches
6 Unforgettable Oscar Speeches External Link
 Sometimes, the big winners just can't contain themselves, and Tecca reminds us of some of the most memorable instances.
Top 10 Movie Motorcycles
Top 10 Movie Motorcycles External Link
 With the new Ghost Rider film out, TIME shows us ten other memorable movie motorcycles.
20 Couples Who Played Couples
20 Couples Who Played Couples External Link
 BuzzSugar takes us through the history of real-life couples who played couples in the movies.
Rom-Com Darlings Under 40
Rom-Com Darlings Under 40 External Link
 It takes a lot to make a rom-com successful, but a key ingredient is the actress! Here are 20 of the best!
50 Best Uses of Songs
50 Best Uses of Songs External Link
 Time Out NY brings us an awesome list of the 50 best uses of preexisting music in movie scenes!
Follow RT on Twitter!
Follow RT on Twitter! External Link
 Daily Tomatometer updates, interesting movie links, and vulgar jokes!

Foreign Titles

  • John Carpenter's The Ward (DE)
  • The Ward (UK)
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile
Copyright © Flixster, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy