Aggiungi una trama nella tua linguaA young nurse who's just started working at a public clinic begins to suspect that a comatose young man may possess the powers of psychokinesis.A young nurse who's just started working at a public clinic begins to suspect that a comatose young man may possess the powers of psychokinesis.A young nurse who's just started working at a public clinic begins to suspect that a comatose young man may possess the powers of psychokinesis.
- Premi
- 2 vittorie e 4 candidature totali
- Nurse Panicale
- (as Maria Mercedes)
- Nurse
- (as Gillian Seemer)
Recensioni in evidenza
Kathy (Susan Penhaligon), a young nurse who lives separated from her husband, finds a job in a mental hospital. As usual for new nurses, Kathy is assigned to care for Patrick (Robert Thompson), a sinister young comatose patient with an unholy past. While Patrick's only activity is his occasional spitting, the comatose man seems strangely alive...
While the film will probably not keep you on the edge of your chair in fear from the beginning to the end, it certainly delivers a certain tense and eerie atmosphere. This is not your film if you're looking for tons of blood and gore. To my surprise, "Patrick" was almost gore-less. Nevertheless, this film is definitely worth watching, both for its original storyline, and its eerie mood. The acting performances are good, though in no way outstanding. While Susan Penhaligon fits well in her role, I can't say that her performance impressed me. Robert Halperman and Julie Blake are very convincing in their roles, and even though the role may not call for the greatest acting skills, I must say that Robert Thompson was genuinely creepy as the eponymous character. There are two different scores for this version, one by Brian May for the Australian version, and one by Goblin for the European version. Even though European, my DVD (unfortunately) contains the Brian May score. Unfortunately, since as a hardcore fan of Italian Horror, Goblin-scores have become some of my favorite film soundtracks (and some of my favorite music to listen to). I will happily watch the movie again with the Goblin score, however.
"Patrick" may be a bit too slow-paced at times. Especially the strong focus on Kathy's private troubles is a bit superfluous. Nevertheless, this is an interesting little Horror film that true genre-fans will not regret watching. Especially recommendable for the eerie atmosphere! 6/10
In and of itself the narrative isn't especially remarkable; for all Patrick's malevolence and violence, the casualties, destruction, or basic thrills we would expect of a genre flick are not so great in number. It's an enticing concept, however, one that has been borne out to terrific results elsewhere (see fellow 1978 release 'The Medusa touch') - and in my mind there's just enough subtlety and hard work shining through in this rendition that the result is commendable and worthwhile. Whether the supporting cast is given the task of fighting against an unseen force, or sharp editing and simple (but good-looking) effects are employed to depict the more easily visualized instances of Patrick's powers, the earnestness of the production is admirable. Simpler still but more clever is the instance in which Patrick's machinations mean slyly writing a character out of a fair portion of the movie. Sometimes the smallest of facets can be twisted around into something more fun.
With that said, it strikes me that both in writing and in execution it's probably individual scenes that do the most to carry the feature as it progresses. From one to the next there's sufficient variety between protagonist Kathie, other characters, and Patrick, as events progress from exposition to increasing aberrance, to keep the movie suitably interesting and fresh. From one scene to the next we see more of how Kathie is interacting with Patrick and still trying to go on with her life while the patient's ill-doings spread out, and such piecemeal focus lets both De Roche and Franklin concentrate their efforts into enriching each beat as it comes. And on that note - while the cast at large perform admirably, Susan Penhaligon has the most time on-screen and the most lines as nurse Kathie, and I think she demonstrates capable skill to command the lead role with quiet range and nuance.
'Patrick' is less than altogether spellbinding; its highest heights are probably stuck at about the mid-level of most genre fare. There's no risk of anyone confusing it for something more immediate and visceral, and even among titles similarly hanging in the mid-range of eventfulness it's right in the middle of the back. Nevertheless, there's appreciable intelligence and hard work that went into making this as moderately engrossing and satisfying as it is, and the endeavor is gratifying. There isn't necessarily a reason to go out of your way to see this, yet keeping in mind the overall tone - if you happen to come across 'Patrick,' it's a good time.
Susan Penhaligon has a lot to do in the lead role as she struggles to communicate with the 'dead' hospital patient, Patrick.
Some real suspense, a little nudity and gore but excellent dialogue and a throbbing storyline that maintains a strong interest throughout.
Robert Thompson is the poor guy who has to play dead or near dead through the whole film but does a really good job and those eyes, even to the end. Great stuff!
Patrick is one of the rare good ones, and it is a seriously underappreciated film. The titular character is a young man in a coma, shocked into inactivity by the death of his mother. He is, according to all medical tests, clinically dead, kept alive only by machines. The new nurse, however, thinks otherwise. Is there something going on behind that vacant face? Something evil? ...and powerful?
The first thing that struck me, mere seconds into the film, was the wonderful camera work and direction. Richard Franklin, who later went on to direct the also-underappreciated Psycho II, did an amazing job. On the topic of Psycho, it is obvious that he was a fan of Hitchcock - there are many visual tributes to Psycho and other Hitchcock films.
Made on a shoestring, as all Aussie films are, but especially horror films, it features only the most basic of optical, on-set, and make-up effects, but the way in which the cast takes them seriously lends them far more weight than they would otherwise carry.
Speaking of the cast, they are uniformly excellent, especially the sublime and sadly missed Sir Robert Helpmann - more famous for his dancing than his acting, he was never the less a greatly-respected cornerstone of 70s and 80s Australian cinema. While the rest of the cast are very good, it is Helpmann who really carries the film, exuding class and professionalism even while being flung about on strings and wrestling with a rubber axe.
Patrick is an effective thriller, which transcends its miniscule budget and makes good on its rather lofty ambitions. If you don't mind Aussie accents in your cheaply-made supernatural thrillers, I recommend it highly.
Susan Penhaligon stars as Kathy Jacquard, a pretty nurse who discovers that her new comatose patient Patrick (Robert Thompson) is not only capable of communicating via psychokinesis (and the occasional bit of spitting!), but is also able to kill. As Patrick gradually begins to fall for Kathy, any other man hoping to get close to her automatically becomes a target of his awesome mental powers.
To feature a malign character who spends 99.9% of the film's running time absolutely motionless, staring into space, is an unusual, but very effective idea, and one that director Franklin cleverly uses to crank up the tension: his audience know damn well that Patrick will move at some point in the film, but have absolutely no idea when it will occur (I jumped twice: first, when Patrick unexpectedly spits at his nurse, and... well... you'll definitely know the other moment when it happens).
There are those who may find the slow-burn approach of this movie a little laborious, but I loved its leisurely approachparticularly as it gave me time to fully appreciate the movie's more bizarre moments: Kathy's job interview, during which the hospital's Matron mentions that such a job attracts certain 'types' (lesbians, scoptophiliacs, necrophiliacs, zoophiliacs and enema specialists!!); two scenes in which frogs don't do so well (one has his brain smushed with a needle and another is eaten by a doctor); Kathy attempting to prove that Patrick can feel by giving him a little 'wrist action'; and repeated appearances by Patrick's 'neighbour', a crazy old man who wets himself.
7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
Lo sapevi?
- QuizWhen released in America, the film was edited down for time, and the voices of the entire cast were dubbed by other actors (with the exception of Susan Penhaligon as her contract included a dubbing clause, allowing her to loop her lines with an American accent). This angered Robert Helpmann so much that he attempted to take legal action against the US distributors.
- BlooperAfter the doctor attempts to give Patrick a lethal injection, he is hit in the head by a potted plant. Immediately after this, he picks up a chair to strike Patrick and is thrown back against the wall, which is shown to bounce back.
- Citazioni
Matron Cassidy: Why did you choose the Roget Clinic, Mrs. Jacquard? ... We tend to attract certain types ... lesbians, nymphomaniacs, enema specialists. Oh, am I offending you, Mrs. Jacquard?
Kathy Jacquard: No.
Matron Cassidy: Zoophiliacs, algolegnacs, necrophiliacs, pedophiliacs, scoptophiliacs, exhibitionists, voyeurs. Now do you follow me, Mrs. Jacquard?
Kathy Jacquard: Yes.
Matron Cassidy: Disease, like God, works in mysterious ways, Mrs. Jacquard. It can don the mask of perversion and spread like cancer through a hospital staff.
- Curiosità sui creditiThe end credits play over Patrick lying in his hospital bed with his eyes open.
- Versioni alternativeOriginal Australian version features a music score by Brian May; European version was re-scored by Italian rock group Goblin, partly using outtakes from their score for a TV series for director Dario Argento.
- ConnessioniFeatured in Snapshot (1979)
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Dettagli
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- Lingua
- Celebre anche come
- Patrick's Höllentrip
- Luoghi delle riprese
- Aziende produttrici
- Vedi altri crediti dell’azienda su IMDbPro
Botteghino
- Budget
- 400.000 A$ (previsto)