After violently murdering his mother and her lover, Patrick (Robert Thompson) lays comatose in a private hospital. When a pretty young nurse (Susan Penhaligon) begins working at the hospital, Patrick tries communicating wi... more »th her, while others in her life are being hurt and killed in mysterious ways.
Patrick is a classic supernatural thriller from Australia. Directed with amazing style by Richard Franklin (F/X 2, PSYCHO II), this unsettling film of telekinetic terror ...would give CARRIE a run for her money. (Ivan Hutchinson, TV GUIDE). This DVD contains a totally new, re-mastered transfer of the original uncut Australian version in anamorphic widescreen and digital sound. - Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1)
- Dolby Digital Mono (English, French & Spanish Language Options)
Actors:Susan Penhaligon, Robert Helpman, Rod Mullinar, Robert Thompson Director:Richard Franklin Studio:Synapse Films Format:DVD - Widescreen,Anamorphic DVD Release Date: 10/28/2008 Original Release Date: 01/01/1978 Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/1978 Release Year: 2008 Run Time: 1hr 52min Screens: Widescreen,Anamorphic Number of Discs: 1 SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 4 Edition: Special Edition MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Languages:English, French, Spanish Subtitles:English, French, Spanish See Also:
James A. Dean | Arlington, TX United States | 02/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This film is one of the creepiest, most suspenseful films you will ever watch. The "comatose" reviewer below must have been just that, because he needs to change his bong water. I would defy anyone to watch this movie and not be engrossed. Fine acting throughout, this isn't some chessy film by any stretch. If you liked a movie like "Dead Calm", for instance, you'll like this one."
A blast from the past; Franklin's homage to Hitchcock
hippiedj | Palm Desert, CA USA | 12/27/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"FINALLY! The complete Australian language version of Richard Franklin's gem from 1978!
An enigmatic young man kills his mother, and winds up in a coma in a private hospital. Enter the pretty nurse who discovers Patrick has capabilities no one seems to know (or admit) 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 Citizen Kane, but it is a nice mystery with great performances, a keen sense of humour ("self-referential humour" as it has been described), and some rather strong adult content for what was supposed to be a PG-rated film, even 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), and Brian May's score has a nice Herrmann-esque feel. I was only disappointed that it was dubbed with American actors. Finally seeing this film in the original Australian language version on DVD made me like this film a lot more 25 years later.
Synapse's 2009 edition is anamorphic widescreen (Elite's out-of-print DVD is not) and has the basic extras: two theatrical trailers, a commentary by Franklin and writer Everett De Roche. There's an easy to find easter egg (on the Elite edition at least) that features cover art for different soundtrack releases as well. The filmographies are quite thorough, for fans of Australian cinema.
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 this 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.""
Very good Australian horror thriller
Michael Andrews | New York, NY | 03/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first saw this film on tv as a kid many years ago and found it very interesting even then. A young sociopath named Patrick kills his mother and her lover, ends up in a coma. A young nurse tends to him only to discover theres something a little....unusual about her patient. Pretty soon, bizarre deaths and accidents start to occur to people around her. Could the comatose Patrick be responsible????? Good character performances from Susan Penhaligan, Robert Helpmann as the cranky old doctor at the medical institute, and more....Strong creepy film."
Bedsores...
Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein | under the rubble | 08/07/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"A young nurse named Kathy Jacquard (Susan Penhaligon) gets a new job at a psychiatric clinic. She is assigned to a patient named Patrick (Robert Thompson). Patrick has been in a coma ever since he murdered his mother and her boyfriend 3 years earlier. Kathy goes through her daily routine, until bizarre events start happening to her and to those around her. Kathy slowly realizes that Patrick, while quite immobile, is nonetheless able to manipulate people and objects w/ his mind. Ms. Jacquard's terror and frustration grow as Patrick attacks any men in her life. This movie has it's moments, but I did find myself wishing for a little more in the way of action. No, I wasn't expecting explosions or hundreds of grisly deaths. However, a few more sinister, telekinetic fatalities would certainly have upped the suspense and helped to move things along. As it stands, PATRICK is a watchable movie w/ a decent story. Watch for Rod Mullinar (Thirst) as Kathy's husband Ed. Julia Blake is very intense as the matron..."
OK Aussie horror/ thriller in the "Carrie" vein.
BD Ashley | Otago, New Zealand | 01/11/2004
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Directed & Co-Produced by Richard Franklin who would later go on to direct PSYCHO 2, PATRICK is a watchable but unremarkable Aussie thriller which is loosely in the vein of CARRIE.
As a child Patrick murders his mother & one of her male friends by electrocuting them in the bathtub via telekinesis.
For some reason, after this Patrick is rendered comatose with massive damage to his cerebral cortex (the film doesn't even explain any of this) & for the last 15 years he has been in hospital (Well he wouldn't be surfing at Noosa, would he?).
Kathy Jacquard (Susan Penhaligon) is recently out of nursing school & one of her first patients is Patrick (Robert Thompson- who bears a remarkable resemblance to the US actor Gerrit Graham), described by a doctor as "160 pounds of limp meat hanging off a comatose brain". But Kathy soon discovers that Patrick is fully aware of what is going on around him, & communicates by spitting (once for yes, twice for no). The only problem is Patrick doesn't want the other staff to know he is aware of his surroundings.
To try & prove to her collegues that Patrick can "speak" Kathy has him telepathically type messages on a typewriter, but of course she is unable to use this as proof as well & soon Kathy's friends and family are questioning her sanity. But not for long, as Patrick soon confesses to being in love with Kathy & is not happy to learn she is happily married to Ed (Rod Mulliner).
So from the comfort of his warm, cozy bed the wide-eyed, spitting coma patient uses his powers to murder those close to Kathy, with methods ranging from a messy electrocution to one of the dopiest drowning "deaths" ever caught on film.
PETA will be unimpressed with the scene in which a live frog has a metal rod inserted through its body as part of a medical demonstration. Personally, I'm not sure where I stand on this: the scene didn't bother me, but there's no way I could do a thing like that to a live creature.
While it is mildly watchable, PATRICK doesn't really deliver many genuine chills & thrills, is relatively tame in terms of gore & violence, and isn't terribly memorable. Its still a good movie to watch in the wee hours of the morning if you're suffering from insomnia & need to kill a couple of hours. The only extra on the DVD I watched was the trailer."