Film Review: John Carpenter’s “the Ward”

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This movie tells the story of Kristen, a young woman who is arrested after burning down a farmhouse, and ends up in a remote ward of a mental institution with no recollection of her life before. Here therapist Dr. Stringer is treating four other disturbed young women; Prim and proper artist Iris, Flirtatious Sarah, Self-harmer Emily, and the shy childish soft-toy-bunny-cuddling Zoey. Soon Kristen notices that the malevolent spirit of young girl is haunting the ward and one-by-one her fellow inmates are brutally killed. The other girls clearly know more than they are letting on and Kristen realizes the only way to survive is to escape. As she struggles to escape, she will uncover a truth far more dangerous and horrifying than anyone could have imagined. The movie is a basic psychological thriller in the vein of "who is really crazy and who isn't?”. In the end, as the lead character tries to find the truth while trying to escape the ward, it was revealed that Kristen’s real name is Alice Hudson, who she first believed to be the name of the zombie/ghost who’s haunting the ward. Throughout the film, various flashbacks are shown of a young girl in chains, about to be abused by an unknown man. It is revealed that the girl in the flashback is Alice herself, who was kidnapped from her home 8 years previously. Alice was left chained up for two months in the basement of the same farmhouse "Kristen" had burned down, in order to survive the past torture, she created different personalities. It is then revealed that Alice is suffering from multiple personality disorder, creating Tammy, Zoey, Sarah, Iris and Emily. Over time Alice's own personality became so overwhelmed by that of the others that she became lost. Through experimental techniques, Dr Stringer explains that her treatments were working until "Kristen" appeared. "Kristen" is yet another invention of Alice's mind to

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