Like a phantom in one of his screen works, John Carpenter disappeared into thin air following the disappointing GHOSTS OF MARS back in 2001. During that time, the horror genre took on a more gruesome and graphic turn with films such as SAW and HOSTEL, abandoning traditional storytelling and going for a more in-your-face route with gore and torture.

Fans have become disillusioned with the endless tormented screams, dismemberments and over-the-top bloodbaths that permeate the fear biz today. A fever is sweeping through the once-loyal masses, and the only cure…is more Carpenter! The HALLOWEEN creator has heard the cries and now brings us his newest fright fest, THE WARD (available on VOD this Wednesday and in theaters July 8 from ARC Entertainment). Starring scream queen Amber Heard (DRIVE ANGRY, ZOMBIELAND, THE STEPFATHER), who also served as a producer on the film, THE WARD is a chilling ghost story where the crazies are the victims and OK, yes, there will be blood. We got the opportunity to sit down with Carpenter and find out what he’s been doing for the last 10 years, discuss his own personal battle with his faith in the horror genre and why he feels he’s back and ready to hit the bloody halls running. With him is Heard, who tells us about her experience with Carpenter.

FANGORIA: What creatively attracted you to doing a ghost story like THE WARD?

JOHN CARPENTER: Well, I hadn’t made a movie since 2001 and I had to stop…because, frankly, I got burned out on the business. I just didn’t wanna do any more. As a matter of fact, I thought about quitting. It was, of course, Amber Heard [pictured above with Carpenter and Mamie Gummer] who got me, brought me back from the dead. But also, this movie was perfect. I started on my road back when I did two MASTERS OF HORROR episodes, and it was actually fun again. I didn’t have much responsibility. I just sorta showed up, it was an hour’s worth of footage so it wasn’t a giant shoot and I had a great time. THE WARD came along and it had everything. It was an ensemble cast, it had a limited location, a small budget and there was a claustrophobic feel to it. And I thought, “This is OK. This is great for my first time back really directing a feature.”

FANG: What burned you out on the process?

CARPENTER: The movie business, dude. I’ve been doing this for 40-something-odd years. I’d been doing it back to back to back to back. Not only directing it, but sometimes writing it and doing the music. What you give up is your private life. You have no life. I just thought, “I can’t do this anymore.” It didn’t help that GHOSTS OF MARS tanked like the Titanic…

FANG: What were the tools of trade you used on THE WARD? Did you stick to the stuff you were most familiar with or did you try a lot of new techniques?

CARPENTER: [Laughs] We didn’t have any money for new equipment and techniques. We barely had any money for the makeup and hair. We had a lot of struggles on this film because it was a tiny movie. And—

AMBER HEARD: A lot of women.

CARPENTER: A lot of very beautiful and talented actresses. And there’s nothing better, if you’re gonna be in an asylum with a bunch of crazy people, if they’re all beautiful Hollywood actresses. It’s awesome. No, it’s all about storytelling. OK, that’s all that directing’s about. It’s not about equipment, it’s not about anything else. It’s just telling a story.

FANG: From either a performance or a storytelling standpoint, were you guys trying to hark back to any past genre films? Is Kristen’s line “I am no one” a nod to THE EXORCIST?

HEARD: I don’t think that when I go into making a movie, personally; I don’t try and bring pieces of other movies with me. You know, finding a character and relating to her, and making her as real as possible, means forgetting all that stuff and just trying to find the truth in that particular character. So I went to set and just tried to tell our story and tried to have as much fun as possible while doing it, and luckily I got to work with John Carpenter, who’s quite possibly the best at what he does. I jumped into it headfirst.

FANG: Did you grow up watching Carpenter films? What makes him the best at what he does from your vantage point?

HEARD: He’s a living legend. And he wasn’t working for a while, so there was a gap, as we all know, in his projects. And when I heard he was interested in making this one, I sat down with him and couldn’t believe that I was gonna work with him. I’m a horror fan, I’m a genre fan; I like these movies, they’re my favorite kinds of movies to make. I was actually thinking about taking a break from genre films until I sat down with John Carpenter. Then there was the end of that break [laughs]. So, yeah, I was honored. Honored.

FANG: Did you notice any difference between working with Carpenter and guys like DRIVE ANGRY director Patrick Lussier and ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE’s Jonathan Levine?

HEARD: Yeah, I do. Patrick Lussier was a technical director. It was about the process, it was about the machines, it was about the technology, it was about the 3D element, it was about the explosions and special effects. With MANDY LANE, I felt like I was working in a different world than the director. It didn’t seem like we were working on the same project. It kind of worked for his movie; I mean that with respect, because he did a beautiful job on that film. But none of them are like working with John Carpenter. You’re really in it, with John; you can’t help but be sucked into his madness at times, and yet you still feel like you’re making a character you believe in and want to live as. And so I felt equally as protected and free.

CARPENTER: Amber, on MANDY LANE, you felt like you and the director were making different movies?

HEARD: Yeah. I just think we worked on parallel lines. [Levine] didn’t give me any direction, didn’t give me any idea as to what he envisioned my character to be. He just let me do what I was going to do and I similarly didn’t try to cross lines with him, and it really worked. And we had almost no real communication during the process, which definitely worked for that particular setting.

FANG: John, are you still scared of actors sometimes?

CARPENTER: Everyone who makes a movie is scared. If they’re making a movie, they’re lying to you if they don’t tell you that. Everybody’s scared. They’re scared of the weight of the project, they’re scared about failing. And you just have to get over it. I’m not scared of actors anymore. I was when I started; that’s why I ask about it, because it’s tough when you’re a first-time director. It’s really tough to know what to say. To walk up to somebody and… The answer’s really simple, but of course you don’t think that when you’re beginning.

TO BE CONTINUED

Check out our exclusive interview with Carpenter in Fango #303.

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MOVIES/TV - Fearful Features