Starring - Susan Penhaligon (Doctor Who, Count Dracula), Robert Helpmann (Cinderella, The Ghost Sonata), and Rod Mullinar (Patrick: Evil Awakens, Killing Time)
Release Date - 1978
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Patrick is nearly dead...and still he kills"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
When movie fans think of ozploitation they immediately think of Mad Max. As much as I love Mad Max and even the horror minded film Razorback, I've always considered Patrick to be the quintessential ozploitation flick. I'm not saying it's a better film or more popular but considering the time and how embedded it became in the horror genre I think it would be a crime to say anything else is the face of ozsploitation. Anyway, this is one I had seen when I was in college and really enjoyed so when Umbrella Entertainment announced a blu release of it I had to revisit it. I quickly hit them up and they were kind enough to send a copy my way for review. Thanks guys!
The film follows a nurse that is going through a divorce and rejoining the workforce. She takes a job working at a hospital where a comatose patient, Patrick, has been a patient for three years. An innocent enough job turns strange when minor occurrences happen around Patrick but soon she learns that he is able to do things with his mind and wants her all to himself...and willing to kill to get her.
Patrick is a fantastic film that blends some great horror tension with a sci-fi storyline and it works. I really enjoy the characters and how someone stuck in a bed can still have a menacing tone about them. It's a very effective film but it doesn't really have any replay value. The acting in this one is great. Penhaligon is fantastic as the nurse in charge of caring for Patrick. I really enjoyed her performance. She's absolutely gorgeous and her emotional range is truly astounding. The supporting cast is just as impressive. With that being said, Robert Thompson as Patrick is fucking nightmare inducing. His bug-eyed blank stare is genuinely eerie and adds a whole new level of chills to the film. He was perfectly cast for this film and his look still sends chills down my spine. The story for this one is a medical sci-fi film with a deep horror influence. The setting of the old hospital works in the film's favor but what really sets this one out for me is the bed ridden Patrick starring off. These scenes were extremely effective for me. The last act of the film is a little goofy but I personally enjoyed it for what it is. I'm sure it was even more effective in the late 70s when it was released. Finally, the film has some make-up effects and a few fun deaths but nothing that really jumps out at the viewer. I thoroughly enjoyed the head nurses death scene the most especially seeing the make-up effects used but fans of blood and gore may be a little disappointed. Overall, Patrick is a film that I have always recommended to genre fans and will continue to do so. This release is leagues above the poor quality DVD release that I snagged some years back. Umbrella did this film justice.
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