After a decade away from theaters and 15 years since his last good movie, horror master John Carpenter returns with a new tale, The Ward. The movie unfortunately reminds us that Carpenter's best years are far behind him.

Starring the extremely sexy Amber Heard, The Ward is set in a mental ward of a hospital where she and other abnormally good-looking mental patients begin to suspect that when their neighbors "leave" the hospital, they're actually getting murdered. Despite claiming her sanity, Kristen (Heard) also starts to suspects that supernatural forces are at work.

The Ward, sadly, is a cliché, uninteresting horror thriller that evokes little fear and presents audiences with a stupid plot and even lamer villain. The premise has been done before to better effect, but as is the film lacks interesting characters, a compelling plot or memorable death scenes.

The movie doesn't look or feel like a John Carpenter movie; it isn't unique or edgy in any way. Carpenter should make it a rule not to use CGI in his films, as the CGI "monster" is downright pathetic. Even worse, there is absolutely no reason why the creature should have been computerized in the first place.

The Ward is boring, stupid and a waste of time. The ending is painfully disappointing. Even worse, it's further evidence that John Carpenter, who is responsible for many classics in the years, is well past his prime.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.