Chickensmoke

As a big fan of horror and also of John Carpenter, I was very much looking forward to 'The Ward'. The first half of the film is a typical set up for a creepy 'ghost in the hospital' film, but is made less enjoyable by all the mental hospital clichés. There's the stubborn old nurse (always with her pills and syringe), the electric shock treatment and multiple lines like "I'm not crazy" (which, of course, nobody believes). It's nothing we haven't seen before. Also, the trouble with having a slow first half is that the second half seems to address the failure to create any real tension or mystery and therefore turns to more action-filled slasher territory. This is when the film became more enjoyable. It feels like Carpenter has returned to the big screen with some fun traditional horror, as characters sneak through air vents, get murdered one by one in brutal (yet still too mild for real gore hounds) and creative ways and the story of the ghost is finally revealed. On top of that, the ghost is incredibly creepy and remains frightening throughout the whole film. Some scenes are very tense, the film is filled with 'jump!' moments and many shots of that darkened corridor (with rain, thunder and lightning outside too, obviously). The acting is okay, the score is fairly creepy (though it's no 'Halloween') and the script's only big let down is it's desperate twist ending, which is more silly than it is clever. However, it all adds up to make a neat little horror flick that isn't perfect -nor the scariest or most imaginative film ever- but is a nice change from the ton of remakes that are spilling into our cinemas at the moment. Overall, an average horror film, but enjoyable none the less. Don't take it too seriously, don't expect to be petrified or vomit at the gore, but expect an entertaining bit of easy old-school horror from a master of the genre.

I adore the Japanese sense of humour, this film captures it & translates it for all audiences. It is so lovely to watch, beginning at a slow, quiet pace, you may even want to switch off in the first 15mins but stick with it because this film unfolds to tell a simple & uplifting story that will pull at your heart strings but at the same time, amuse you . Set in the Japanese countryside a young girl is desperate to get away from her mother. She moves out, learns to cook & saves up enough money to open a restaurant until her boyfriend decides to steal it all from her. Penniless, Rinco is forced to return home but finds that she can achieve her dreams on her mothers doorstep & this wonderful tale unfolds.This made me laugh out loud & then bought tears to my eyes on a flight back from New York & I cant wait to see it again. This is also a must see for all pig fans out there.

I cant believe some of the comments i've read on here about this film! It was very slow paced and wasn't very scary or disturbing, but the cinematography was beautiful, as were the sets and the music, although the music didn't go with some scenes and took away the films eerie atmosphere. If you enjoy supernatural films such as "The others" then this may not be as good but is still worth watching because it is slow and creepy and it does build up to some spooky scenes. The acting was OK, nothing special, but watchable. I would give this film a chance, i found other peoples bad comments very misleading, they may not have enjoyed the film, but, although not brilliant, is not as bad as they make it out to be.

I honestly cant understand why this film has got such bad reviews. i haven't seen the remake and i can see that there are a few unrealistic reactions or things the characters do or don't do. i wasn't scared at all but i still really enjoyed this film. i thought it was well made,the acting was fair, the film needs to decide if its a silly 'kill the dumb teenagers' movie or a horror/fantasy masterpiece and still maybe needed some more work. however, it was entertaining, the effects were brilliant the whole look of the film and the production design made it look very dark and creepy, it was what i like to see: a horror which is more along the lines of fantasy ghost story rather than another pointless slasher. i recommend it for the people who like a softer type of horror rather than the gore lovers.

I enjoyed Kingdom hospital very much but i felt at times it was a bit slow and a few episodes were made up of unnecessary events, that weren't crucial to the plot, although some were enjoyable. The first episode was fantastic at the start but then dragged on for an extra 20 minutes too long and the first 4 episodes had a good atmosphere. Then the series got a bit boring although mostly enjoyable to watch. I loved the episode 'Butter fingers' and the last two episodes were excellent bar the unsatisfying ending. At times the show was quite scary and certainly creepy but there's nothing that will haunt you forever here. The effects were quite good especially on the creepy anteater that roams the old kingdom. I recommend it if you like the Craig r Baxley and Stephen King combination and if you enjoyed this or want to watch a enjoyable series by the pair but not one as long then i recommend 'Rose red', 'Storm of the century' and 'the shining (1997)'.Once again there is some cool atmospheric music from Gary Chang although lots of the music is just the same piece playing throughout the series. I found it entertaining because or the plot and the mystery once you watch one show you want to see the next! All in all kingdom hospital is good, when you've got the time for it.