10 Terrifying Horror Movies Set In Asylums

Helmed by genre veteran John Carpenter, The Ward sees teen amnesiac Kristen (Amber Heard) sent to an eerie psychiatric hospital after burning down a farmhouse. While there she butts heads with a menacing psychiatrist (Jared Harris) and forms a strong friendship with a group of four other patients.

Not long after being institutionalised, however, Kristen discovers that the disfigured ghost of a former patient is wreaking havoc in the hospital and has begun to target her and her new friends, killing them off one after the other. But in typical genre fashion not everything is as it seems.

Despite being the first film Carpenter made after a ten-year hiatus, The Ward was far from a return to form for the filmmaker. It received an underwhelming critical reception upon release and failed to make much of an impression in theatres either. Regardless of its mundane welcome, though, The Ward proves to be an enjoyably fun ride nonetheless.

The kills are satisfyingly gruesome and the plot is uncomplicated schlocky fun. Moreover it was shot on location at an operating psychiatric hospital in Washington.

The Ward won’t be remembered as Carpenter’s best, but viewers won’t regret watching it.