Patrick

"Patrick" of 1978 is a slow-paced yet effective and weird little Austalian Horror film, that often seems like a drama more than a supernatural thriller. It is not an easy film to rate, but it sure was something completely different than I had expected before I first saw this. While I had expected to see a blood-soaked slasher, "Patrick" turned out to be a quite calm and slow-paced, but nonetheless eerie Thriller with a surprisingly elaborate plot...

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

There's no area of science fiction or horror more nebulous than stories that involve "the power of the mind," and making things happen by force of will alone. It takes a delicate hand and a keen mind to shape such notions into a convincing and compelling story, and more so the less grandiose the manifestations are. As Robert Thompson's portrayal of the title character in 'Patrick' means barely moving a muscle, this movie has its work cut out for it. Between screenwriter Everett De Roche and director Richard Franklin, however, and the fine work of all others on hand, I think this becomes a fairly enjoyable viewing experience.

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.

This is a real surprise. I only heard of this film through the OZ documentary, 'Not Hollywood' and picked it up for pence, but it is very good indeed.

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!

FINALLY! The complete Australian language version of Richard Franklin's gem from 1978!

An enigmatic young man kills his mother, then somehow winds up in a coma in a private hospital. Enter the pretty young nurse who discovers Patrick has capabilities no one seems to know about, or want to admit they know about. For those that are thrill seekers, this film is not a fast-paced, action-packed story. BUT, for those of us that appreciate characters over wild thrills and enjoy careful buildups to a final reveal, this one is nicely done. There IS a reason it was an initial success and has gained a big cult following; people understood Franklin's intentions.

Sure, Patrick is not grand "cinema," but it's a nice mystery/love story with great performances, a keen sense of humour ("self-referential humour" as it has been described), and some rather strong adult content & nudity for what was supposed to be a PG-rated film, even in the altered version for American audiences back in 1978. I first saw it theatrically and was surprised by its content, but appreciated the homages to Hitchcock (which Franklin carefully points out in many scenes on the DVD's commentary track), and Brian May's score has a nice hermann-esque feel (I'm a proud owner of this score on vinyl). I was only disappointed that it was dubbed with American actors, which dummies down a film -- just take a peek at the dubbed version of Anatomy (aka Anatomie). Finally seeing this film in the original Australian language version on DVD made me like this film a lot more 25 years later.

While this film is not extremely original, it still provides enough intrigue for those who look deeper into films that the general public would brush off. Patrick could be considered an acquired taste, so those who are familiar with it and liked it will find the Elite DVD a very satisfying purchase and a nice surprise to see it in its original form. Others be warned, you might stick with more familiar "blockbuster hits." But realize, when films are pushed as "the hottest releases," you know something might be lacking and that it's processed for mass-friendly consumption. At least the Australian audiences did accept this film back then, and it won recognition. I'd like to think I was one of the Americans that understood why they found this film to be so great!

I remember seeing ads on TV for 'Patrick' back in the 1970s, but for some reason I never actually watched it until I recently rented it on DVD. I expected it to be laughably bad, but instead I was pleasantly surprised. It's a reasonably effective thriller, with a few excellent scenes. Director Richard Franklin obviously has a Hitchcock fetish, he later went on to direct the better-than-you-think 'Psycho 2'. I believe the American DVD has a commentary from Franklin, but the Australian one I watched doesn't. But you don't need him to point out the Hitchcock homages throughout. Okay, 'Patrick' isn't perfect. It's made on a very low budget, and the effects are nothing to write home about, but the script and acting aren't too bad. I do agree that Robert Thompson who plays Patrick isn't very convincing. Better casting could have improved the movie a lot. However Susan Penhaligon is good, and pretty cute to boot.