bloody-disgusting.com

THE-WARD

[Remember This?] When Being Dead The Whole Time Was A Twist?

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on February 08, 2013 @ 3:15pm
Category: Movies / Editorials

I didn’t have enough room in the headline for this article’s subtitle, which is And Remember When “They Were All The Same Person” Was A Twist? This whole thing has been buzzing around in my head since a recent argument regarding the ending to Haute Tension, which I found sort of ridiculous. It’s the standard “The Protagonist Is Insane And Actually The Killer” (aka “The Split Personality” twist). But I have to say it got me thinking that this trope actually doesn’t bug me as much as the other two, since it usually says more about the characters at hand.

Still, I’m not sure what happened to our brains over the past 14 years, but you can’t call something a twist if everyone knows it’s coming. I feel like horror needs to widen its bag of tricks beyond the “they were dead”, the “split personality” and “the protag is crazy” tropes which seem to be the only three ploys in regular use for filmmakers seeking to pull the rug out from under their audience.

The “dead” thing worked for The Sixth Sense, and it sort of worked two years later with The Others. It also worked in 1962′s Carnival Of Souls. But we’ve seen it employed at least twice more recently in Passengers and The Devil’s Ground. I’m not denigrating those films necessarily, but it should probably end there. Similarly the “split ” angle didn’t even quite work in Identity and it certainly didn’t work in The Ward. It was sort of used in Shutter Island as well, but it worked there because it was actually source of catharsis for its character.

Head inside for more… READ MORE

The 5 Best (And 1 Worst) Films Of John Carpenter!!!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on November 26, 2012 @ 7:30am
Category: Movies / Editorials

I’m a writer/director guy. Meaning, moreso than who starred in any given film, I plan my trip to the theater based on who wrote and/or directed it. When I become invested in someone’s creative output, I’ll often follow their “voice” through all kinds of highs and lows, which means finding things to love in their lesser projects. I understand why the public at large doesn’t have the time or inclination to subscribe to this practice (though many more people seem capable of forging this kind of unbreakable alliance with sports teams), but I honestly think it’s an interesting – and compassionate – way to watch films (or listen to music).

Every career has peaks and valleys. In some careers the valleys are more severe and in others the peaks are more triumphant, but they exist. They’re unavoidable from both creative and commercial standpoints. I think it would be fun to examine this from time to time on BD (even though some of the most exciting voices in horror need another film or two under their belt to qualify), with the amount of “Bests” and “Worsts” varying each time.

First up? John Carpenter. I feel like he’s the perfect starting point. Not only does he have a large output, but he’s had one of the more interesting careers in horror, full of ups and downs (and the occasional creative triumph that he was punished for professionally).

Head inside for the 5 Best (And 1 Worst) Films Of John Carpenter. READ MORE

Indie

The Writers Of ‘The Ward’ Go Back To The Hospital In ‘Dark Feed’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on May 09, 2012 @ 12:28pm
Category: Movies / Indie

The Rasmussen Brothers (aka Shawn and Michael Rasmussen) are best known for writing John Carpenter’s psychiatric hospital thriller The Ward. Well, they must like those clinical environments because that’s more or less where they’re headed with Dark Feed. Although this time, the protagonists could not be more different.

In the film, “When a film crew moves into an abandoned psychiatric hospital with a shadowy past to shoot a low budget horror film, they get more than they bargained for. The late nights and lack of sleep begin to take a toll, and the longer this crew works, the more the leaky, wet building seems to be coming back to life, feeding off its new inhabitants.”

They’re headed to Cannes with the film, which was shot in New England on many of the same sets used in Shutter Island. You can follow the film on Facebook. Head inside for the trailer and the poster! READ MORE

[OMFG] 64 Horror Movies In Five Minutes Set To Marilyn Manson And Horror Music

Music
Posted by JonathanBarkan on January 17, 2012 @ 6:59pm
Category: Music / News

YouTube user Hatinhand decided one night that he needed to make a “horror portfolio”, a video that shows scenes from 64 horror movies over the past half century. He split the video into three sections: the first entitled “Haunted Houses And Ghost Stories” which uses the music from John Carpenter’s The Ward, composed by Mark Kilian. The second section is called “Angels And Demons” and uses an instrumental version of If I Was Your Vampire by Marilyn Manson. The final section is entitled Killers And Slashers and uses the now infamous Hello Zepp theme from Saw, composed by Charlie Clouser.

Definitely worth checking out, you can see the video below along with a full list of the movies used.

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 02, 2011 @ 10:34pm
Category: Movies / Home Video

Now on VOD everywhere via XLrator Media is John Carpenter’s The Ward, which Don Allen put together the following video review for. What did he think? Dig on inside and find out. Click the title above for the official review and to write your own.

“The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night.”

Heard, Danielle Panabaker, Mamie Gummer, Jared Harris, Mika Boorem, Lyndsy Fonseca, Laura-Leigh, Sydney Sweeney, Dan Anderson, Susanna Burney and Sali Sayle all star. You can read our review from last September’s TIFF where the film had its world premiere.

Movies
Posted by David Harley on August 11, 2011 @ 4:16am
Category: Movies / Home Video

In a few recent interviews, John Carpenter has all but admitted his disdain for working on films. Although he’s kept up to date with the genre, he seems to have lost his zeal for the creativity that once defined his oeuvre. Scoring? Too much work. Writing? Too much work. By choice, it’s been almost ten years since his last feature – even longer since his last GOOD one – and after attaching himself to as many projects as del Toro, he returns to the cinesphere with The Ward, which proves that he also thinks directing is too much work.
READ MORE

Official Trailer for John Carpenter’s ‘The Ward’, New Stills

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on May 25, 2011 @ 1:57am
Category: Movies / News

June 8 is almost here and thus you’ll finally be able to see John Carpenter’s The Ward on various VOD platforms. I’m absolutely dying to know what you think. With a limited theatrical run slated for July 8, XLrator Media has released the film’s official U.S. trailer. What do you think?

“The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night.”

Click the pic below for the full gallery:

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on May 21, 2011 @ 12:51am
Category: Movies / News

John Carpenter’s The Ward will finally be available on VOD come June 8, with a limited theatrical run slated for July 8. Moviefone has been granted exclusive rights to debut the official one sheet that depicts Amber Heard it quite a pickle. There are a handful of ghouls clawing at her…

“The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night.”

John Carpenter’s The Ward’ in Theaters April 15? New Clips

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on March 31, 2011 @ 11:42pm
Category: Movies / News

Either something is wrong, or the people behind XLrator Media are doing a horrid job of promoting their big acquisition, John Carpenter’s The Ward (review), which is listed as being released on April 15.

While we attempt to firm up this date, inside you’ll find a trio of clips (unfortunately in Italian), ones of which features Amber Heard showering. My only thoughts were, “Turn around, TURN AROUND!”

“The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night.”
READ MORE

Watch the Opening Credits for John Carpenter’s ‘The Ward’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on March 28, 2011 @ 10:52pm
Category: Movies / News

While we wait on XLrator Media to announce a U.S. release date, the opening credits have leaked online for John Carpenter’s return to feature-length horror, The Ward (review), which premiered at last September’s TIFF.

“The story follows a girl (Amber Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night.”

Danielle Panabaker, Mamie Gummer, and Jared Harris also star in Carpenter’s first feature film since the 2001 Ghosts of Mars.
READ MORE

Slowly Walk Through Two Clips From John Carpenter’s ‘The Ward’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on March 10, 2011 @ 4:25pm
Category: Movies / News

Acquired last month by ARC Entertainment and XLrator Media is John Carpenter’s return to feature-length horror with The Ward (review), which stars Amber Heard (Zombieland, Many Lane, The Stepfather) and Danielle Panabaker (The Crazies, Friday the 13th).

The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night. It premiered at TIFF last September.

With the horror flick already in UK cinemas, inside you’ll find the first two clips that feature a lot of slow walking, and screaming.
READ MORE

Watch Girls Hang Out in New ‘The Ward’ Imagery

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on January 14, 2011 @ 4:03pm
Category: Movies / News

With no US distribution still, the UK will receive John Carpenter’s return to feature-length horror on January 21st, 2011. Inside you’ll find four new images for The Ward, which stars Amber Heard (Zombieland, Many Lane, The Stepfather) and Danielle Panabaker (The Crazies, Friday the 13th). The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night. It premiered at the TIFF this past September. You can read our review from the festival.
READ MORE

Full UK Trailer and Poster for John Carpenter’s ‘The Ward’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on January 06, 2011 @ 11:37pm
Category: Movies / News

While no US distributor has been set, the UK will receive John Carpenter’s return to feature-length horror on January 21st, 2011. Inside you’ll find the FULL trailer and UK one sheet for The Ward, which stars Amber Heard (Zombieland, Many Lane, The Stepfather) and Danielle Panabaker (The Crazies, Friday the 13th). The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night. It premiered at the TIFF this past September. You can read our review from the festival.
READ MORE

A Sneak Peak Look at the Trailer for John Carpenter’s ‘The Ward’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on January 03, 2011 @ 6:00am
Category: Movies / News

While no US distributor has been set, the UK will receive John Carpenter’s return to feature-length horror on January 21st, 2011. Inside you’ll find a sneak peak look at the trailer for The Ward, which stars Amber Heard (Zombieland, Many Lane, The Stepfather) and Danielle Panabaker (The Crazies, Friday the 13th). The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night. It premiered at the TIFF this past September. You can read our review from the festival.
READ MORE