The story revolves around a young institutionalized woman named Kristen who is haunted by a mysterious and deadly zombie/ghost. As danger creeps closer, she comes to realize that this zombie might be darker than anything she ever could have imagined.
The film first premiered in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto Film Festival. The film is set in Oregon in 1966.
The elements which are most evident in The Ward are the themes of isolation, madness, death, darkness, fear and the paranormal. These elements in the film are shown through the locations within the mental asylum, in which it is set. As well as this the non-diegetic soundtrack adds to the atmosphere of the film.
The plot of the film follows similar codes and conventions similarly to that of other horror films by John Carpenter, such as psychological and physical abuse, blood, violence, weapons, fire, ghosts and isolation. However like with many of John Carpenter’s films, he strays away from other conventions and puts a new spin on his work. An example of this is the ending of the film, which through the use of the Alice’s condition (multiple personality disorder) defines the ending in a way which an audience may not have seen coming. The use of this disorder is extremely effective as it is used to confuse the audience and instead of summing everything up to a ghost, which is what is often used in horror films, instead uses a mental illness to make it appear more realistic.
As well as this the effectiveness of the mise-en-scene and attitude towards the patients is effective in showing how patients were mistreated during this time period, which in reality wasn’t too long ago.
The characters are portrayed in different styles; for example the main protagonist is shown to be stronger than the others, whereas in comparison Zoey is portrayed as childlike and vulnerable. Each character creates a certain presence which makes us empathise with them due to their likeability and how relatable they are.
Because the identity of the ghoul remains a mystery throughout most of The Ward, the audience derives some of its enjoyment from trying to guess how the filmmakers will reveal the big surprise about who this evil force is. For anyone numb to modern-day horror’s reliance on increasingly “shocking” third-act twists, it comes as a bit of a relief that Carpenter seems to be forgoing that narrative gimmick, instead focusing on ratcheting up the suspense as Kristen’s fellow patients are murdered and she seeks to get to the bottom of the ghoul’s intentions. This leads to a particularly captivating chase sequence that, like so much of the rest of the film, is so affecting because it’s done with such effortless confidence. Eventually, Carpenter does in fact unveil his story’s big twist, but even here the master proves that it’s less about the reveal than it is about the skill with which it’s presented, of which there is considerable amount on display.
