A fertile concept for dramatic tension is a group of women locked together in some in environment. “Girl, Interrupted” (about a female psyche ward) is perhaps the most famous recent success with this premise, but I also think of director Lucky McKee’s “The Woods” (about a secluded girls school) or even the recent reviewed “The House on Sorority Row” as other examples. 

This is very much the set up for John Carpenter’s 2010 film “The Ward.” We first meet Amber Heard’s character Kristen as she is burning down a desolate house. The police arrest her and she’s thrown into a ward in a psychiatric hospital with several other girls.

That would be bad enough for willful and intelligent Kristen, but soon a ghastly deformed figure appears and the girls start to disappear. Kristen endeavors to find out what is going on, and realizes her ward-mates know more about what’s happening than they are letting on.

Over all, “The Ward” was a very enjoyable slice of horror movie-making. Carpenter is a bit hit or miss in my book—for every “The Fog”, there’s a “Ghosts of Mars”, but this seems to be one of his less commented on successes. (I never look up Rotten Tomato rankings until after I’ve seen something, and inexplicably “The Ward” is abysmally ranked by critics and viewers. (That happens to me a lot.))

In particular, I loved the soundtrack, not done by Carpenter, though he often scores his work. It had a classic creepy vibe ringing through every chord.

There is a twist and one I absolutely did not see coming. You’ll recognize it from other films, and it does cloud everything that’s come before, though it nicely closes some plot holes. I’m not quite sure how it sits with me, but I probably won’t put much thought into it.