The Ward

The Ward Analysis
The Ward is a 2010 American psychological horror film directed by John Carpenter. It stars Amber Heard, Danielle Panabaker, Mika Boorem, and Jared Harris. It is Carpenter's first fulllength feature film since Ghosts of Mars in 2001. A thriller centered on an institutionalized young woman (Amber Heard) who becomes terrorized by a ghost. Arc Entertainment. In the opening sequence I can see that non diegetic sound first of all it is a subtle woman against a slow beat tune. Violins are playing also. This creates suspense and appeals to the audience because the music almost sounds angelic and holy. This is a common sub-genre of horror, religion can play a big part therefore it gives the audience an idea of what the film might include. Whilst the music is playing we can see religious imagery from the bible. It is of a woman being tied up and men poking her. This is a very old photo and has religious connotations with the non diegetic sound. It also ties in with Laura Mulveys theory that the male gaze is directed at the women purposely for her assets. In this scenario we can see the woman is naked on her chest and although her hair is covering her, she still can be seen as helpless and vulnerable. Also the body structure of her denotes helpless because she is tied up with various males surrounding her. What happens next is that the glass of this image shatters; the audience now realizes the image was a glass picture and also makes the audience jump. The non-diegetic sound becomes bolder and the womans voice becomes louder and more angelic. It almost sounds leering and sexual which connotes this film could involve a female antagonist or protagonist. This is still a mystery to the audience however, because they are not aware of any characters just yet. In this midshots it is of a woman in white on her knees praying with a man touching her. The man is hard to see however looking at it carefully her has long metal like nails which he is touching her forehead with. Previously the ward showed old biblical pictures and now a midshots of a woman praying. This confirms to the audience there are religious themes in this media text. The woman dressed in white connotes angelic, pure, clean and innocent. However, in this scenario her white dress looks like a wedding dress. Who is the man, is he the groom? This created suspense and mystery to the audience, why is she praying on her wedding day? Her facial expression connotes she is praying very hard, and almost possessed. The lighting of her is a sepia effect connoting this is also an old picture, however obviously not as old as the previous shot. The lighting behind her however is black. Black is a common convention of horror and death. This highlights to the audience that this could be a film regarding the dark side of religion. This is appealing because already
The Ward Analysis

its creating suspense and mystery, who is this woman? Why is she so entwined in prayer? Why is she wearing white and who is this man? So many questions have been created for the audience which is appealing because they are now intrigued in what is going to happen. The theme of glass is still constant and once again it is breaking on this image. Breaking glass connotes danger, shattered memories and pain. It isnt a common horror convention however used in these specific scenes the directors have made it seem so. This specific mid-shot is another interesting shot, it is once again of a woman in pain. Women are constantly being used as a victim in the opening sequence and this particular shot shows the woman being injected in the back of her head and forced because someone is holding her head. The lighting is black and white however quite clear and contrasted, this implies a clarity and clear image that the directors intention was for the audience to see the situation this woman is in. Compared to the last shot it is clearer because the characters are easier to see. Glass is once again being a consistent factor in the several shots. Throughout the shots so far this is quite a confusing horror, there have not been the usual codes nor conventions of a typical horror film although we do particularly get idea of what sort of sub-genre it is. From the unusual pictures and religious links we can tell this could be a pyscological film, due to the bizzare scenes Carpenter uses. In this particular shot, we get sense of a typical horror character. A young white women with blonde hair is most usually a victim in every other horror movie. Her naked self also gives sense of the Laura Mulvey theory because she is naked. The male gaze suggests men only look at women for sexual pleasure and in this sense the film most definitely agrees with Mulveys perception. Also, the shadow behind the female connotes a masculine male, once again Mulveys correct because this connotes the blonde young female is the victim. Overall, I believe Carpenter uses strong lighting, reference to religious and metaphorical glass as symbolism as major aspects to this intriguing and unusal physchological horror.

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The Ward Analysis

The Ward Analysis

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