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TB: I suppose the place to start, the question that a lot of fans have, would be why you’ve been away from theatrical work for so long and what it is about this film in particular that brought you back.

JC: Well, I stopped directing after my last film. It was 2001. I was just burned out. Tired. Disgusted with the whole business. I didn’t want to direct any more. I toyed around with retiring because I had promised myself that when I stopped loving doing it I wouldn’t do it any more. But Mick Garris, who is a friend of mine, he got me involved in this Showtime series that was on for a couple years, Masters of Horror. I directed a couple of those and I really enjoyed myself.

TB: You directed two of the best of those.

JC: Ah, thank you. And I had a great time doing them so I thought maybe I’d try something. This script came along and it was perfect in the sense that it was small, it was a small film, contained and was kind of a character driven situation. The characters and the story really mattered. I got to work with some young, very talented actresses, and I got to work with Jared Harris, a very talented actor, and everything just worked. Everything fit together for me.

TB: Did that youth bring a new freshness to you and your style at all? I mean, not that your style needs to change but when you look back at your body of work I’m hard pressed to name anybody who defined the aesthetic of 80s horror – the look, the atmosphere, the use of music – more than you did. You had a really distinct aesthetic that defined a distinct period. Are you carrying that into this film or are you adapting and playing and trying on some new techniques that have come along while you were out of the game for a little bit? What kind of John Carpenter are we getting?

JC: I’m trying on some new things. It’s not going to be a mystery, it’s still going to be my movie. But I did not compose the music and I’m very happy I didn’t. I worked with a very talented composer, Mark Kilian, a young man. And I’m also learning a kind of new approach and that’s a whole lot of digital work. It was shot on film but everything else is digital. And that allows you a lot of opportunities and a lot of choices, especially in the editing room. It’s a lot of fun.

TB: Now, when you say digital are you talking about the post production – the coloring the editing and things like that – or the effects?

JC: Well, some effects. A lot of this movie is on set, everything was done on set, but we played around a lot digitally and it was a lot of fun. Interesting to do. A lot of fun.

TB: You mentioned earlier that one of the drawing factors for you was that this is really a character piece, which I think is something that really defines most of your work as well. How do you feel about the current trend in horror, which has mostly gotten away from that and chosen to do more banging and crashing than focusing on the people involved?

JC: Yes, I agree with you. But horror is pretty much the same as always. When you look at it there are a few really good movies, there are a few fair movies, and mostly really bad movies. It’s always kind of been that way. I don’t know how I really feel about it. Some of the films I really enjoy, some horror films I enjoy a lot. Some not so much. It really depends on the talent of the story teller, the director, and what he brings to it. I think I probably agree with your assessment, that there isn’t a lot of character any more but maybe the audience is just bored with character. I don’t know. Maybe that’s what they want to see, the crash and bang.

TB: I’d like to ask you some about your cast. You’ve got Amber Heard in this and she’s really become a bit of a go-to girl since All The Boys Love Mandy Lane.

JC: I met her for the part, she was one of the first actors I met with, and I just really liked her. She’s really smart and beautiful and talented and was really interested in the project. And when you have all those things going you say yes. I remember watching Mandy Lane and thinking, “Boy, she swallows her lines.” And, lo and behold, she swallowed a few of her lines on this but we worked on it and it turned out great.

TB: You have a very young cast in this. Were there any particular challenges working with them or did you enjoy working with people who were maybe a little less set in their ways?

JC: Yes, they haven’t got bad habits yet. Though all of these girls had a lot of experience. Danielle Panabaker was a Disney actress when she was really young. Lyndsy Fonseca has done a lot of work. Laura-Leigh and Mamie Gummer were probably the newest but they were both Juliard trained. So I had a great time. Everybody was ready to go, they came on the set ready to go and I was really happy.

Read the full interview here!

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Icon vs. Icon had the chance to talk to John Carpenter, director of Danielle’s upcoming horror flick The Ward. Here’s what he had to say about the film:

What turned the tide to bring you back?

I had this opportunity to make this low budget, contained film called ‘The Ward.’ It was different from the kinds of things I had done and it had a really cool cast. Young girls, Hollywood actresses in an insane asylum. I can’t say no to that! [laughs] It was a decent script and I thought “I can do something with this!” I had done a little bit of work with ‘Masters of Horror,’ the TV show, and that was fun. I love being on the set shooting. Love it! That is the best part, so I decided to try it.

You have a bunch of new projects coming out now that you are back. You touched on ‘The Ward’ a little bit already. What can you tell us about the cast of that film and was it difficult to assemble the right mix?

I worked with a really great casting director who just knows all of these young girls, actors and kids and really put me with some great ones. I just read them. The company that I work for had recommended Amber Heard. They had worked with her before. She is a really smart, young actress. Then I met Danielle Panabaker, Lyndsy Fonseca, Mamie Gummer and Laura-Leigh and really got a chance to talk to them. You may know Lyndsy Fonseca from her last film, ‘Hot Tub Time Machine.’ The whole group is extremely talented but they aren’t big stars yet.

What was the biggest challenge in making that film?

To be honest, it was the food! [laughs] The catering was just absolute shit. Garbage! Never solved it. I had an assistant and I just sent her out every night to get me food. It was awful! Inedible!

We have been seeing some stills crop up recently. When are we gonna get a chance to see the film?

How much money do ya have on ya? [laughs]

Probably about 60 in cash … there were tolls.

[laughs] We are nearing completion. I am just doing some little color correction issues on the print. I think it is going to the Toronto Film Festival and after that it will be bootlegged and you can see it anywhere…

To read the whole interview go here.

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Episode 17: Backfire (more information)

Episode 18: Trial by Fire (more information)

Episode 19: Porn Free (more information)

Click on the thumbnails below to see the full-size images:

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More information on the episode can be found here.

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The Ward will have two screenings during the Toronto International Film Festival:

Monday September 13 -   11:59:00 PM   -   RYERSON

Sunday September 19 -   12:15:00 PM   -   SCOTIABANK THEATRE 1

You can also check out the first three official stills of the film at the official TIFF page. Danielle Panabaker is not featured, but they’re pretty great =)

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Kirsten’s therapist, Dr. Stringer (Jared Harris), tries to uncover the root cause of her breakdown, but despite his calm and understanding manner, she resists any attempts at help and rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, the hospital is not the sanctuary it seems to be. Kristen begins to have strange run-ins with a shadowy phantom who roams the halls when the ward is locked down at night. Persistent and inquisitive, she goes digging for information about former patients and soon becomes convinced that no one ever leaves the ward alive.

The Ward marks a resurgence in director John Carpenter’s celebrated stylistic mojo, with his trademark prowling camera, jump scares, and the sort of atmospherics that typified The Fog and Prince of Darkness.

Set in the sixties, the film’s tone and style have much in common with the works of one of horror’s great, under-recognized masters, Val Lewton, while also nodding in the direction of Samuel Fuller’s cult classic Shock Corridor. Led by previous Midnight Madness starlet Amber Heard, the titular lead from All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Carpenter’s cast of locked-up bad girls brings the picture to life.

The Ward is Carpenter’s return to form after a decade-long absence, further proof that he deserves the mainstream critical respect and recognition of an American auteur.

Colin Geddes

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The Midnight slate includes the world premiere of The Ward, which marks John Carpenter’s return to features after almost a decade (since 2001’s Ghosts of Mars). The supernatural thriller stars Zombieland and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane’s Amber Heard as a teenage girl who becomes the latest inmate at a psychiatric institution beset by a mysterious, malevolent force.

Source: Fangoria

No exact date has been announced yet, so we’ll have to wait for that. In the mean time check out some Behind the Scenes screencaptures. They were added last friday to the gallery (be careful though, specially with the album marked with a spoiler tag!):

The Ward stars Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Jared Harris and Lyndsy Fonseca. More information can be found here.

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Now that NBC has assembled the cast of Law & Order: Los Angeles, you might be curious about the team’s first case. Series creator Dick Wolf promised he wouldn’t shy away from stories based on real Tinseltown scandals, and is following up on that by titling his first episode “Hollywood.”

The story finds the team, including Alfred Molina’s Morales, Skeet Ulrich’s Rex, and Terrence Howard’s district attorney, investigating a crime involving a young Hollywood starlet named Chelsea (played by Shark’s Danielle Panabaker) and a wannabe actor named Sam (played by Wyatt Russell, the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn).

Also appearing in the Sept. 29 series premiere: Saw actress Shawnee Smith as Chelsea’s mom, Trudy; Supernatural’s Jim Beaver as Sam’s dad, Frank; and The Mummy’s Oded Fehr as the villainous Manto.

Danielle’s probably busy with her scenes right now since shooting began this monday, August 2. You can watch a short promo of the show here.

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