John Carpenter will always be a filmmaker to watch, even when all there is to watch is a half trailer of sorts for his latest, The Ward. The Ward premiered earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, and represents Carpenter's first feature in nearly a decade after 2001's Ghost of Mars. Amber Heard stars as Kristen, a woman committed to a psychiatric hospital where she "begins to have strange run-ins with a shadowy phantom who roams the halls when the ward is locked down at night." Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Jared Harris, and Lyndsy Fonseca also star. Check out the clip after the break.The Ward is expected in the U.S. some unspecified date in 2011, but the film is set for wide release in the UK on January 21st. Bleeding Cool heard a UK trailer had been released online, then went and tracked down something which is more than a basic teaser, but not quite a full trailer.So here's fifty-one seconds of a video which claims to be a "UK trailer intro":Pretty interesting; hope it makes its way to the U.S. sooner rather than later. Ideally, in time to form a nice double feature of "young women in creepy psychiatric hospitals" with Sucker Punch.Click here for our Ward-centric interview with Carptenter. Here's the official synopsis:
When an old farmhouse is set ablaze by Kristen (Amber Heard), a distraught young woman, she is taken by police to the North Bend Psychiatric Hospital. She awakens in a special ward with four similarly unbalanced and wayward girls: Sarah, a flirty and sass-talking know it all; Iris, a sensitive and talented artist who tries to make her feel welcome; Emily, a reckless but playful outcast; and Zoey, who hides behind a childlike persona and her beloved stuffed bunny.
Kirstenâs therapist, Dr. Stringer (Jared Harris), tries to uncover the root cause of her breakdown, but despite his calm and understanding manner, she resists any attempts at help and rehabilitation.
Unfortunately, the hospital is not the sanctuary it seems to be. Kristen begins to have strange run-ins with a shadowy phantom who roams the halls when the ward is locked down at night. Persistent and inquisitive, she goes digging for information about former patients and soon becomes convinced that no one ever leaves the ward alive.
The Ward marks a resurgence in director John Carpenterâs celebrated stylistic mojo, with his trademark prowling camera, jump scares, and the sort of atmospherics that typified The Fog and Prince of Darkness.
Set in the sixties, the filmâs tone and style have much in common with the works of one of horrorâs great, under-recognized masters, Val Lewton, while also nodding in the direction of Samuel Fullerâs cult classic Shock Corridor. Led by previous Midnight Madness starlet Amber Heard, the titular lead from All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Carpenterâs cast of locked-up bad girls brings the picture to life.
The Ward is Carpenterâs return to form after a decade-long absence, further proof that he deserves the mainstream critical respect and recognition of an American auteur.