Patrick (1978)
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Duration: 112 minuten
Country:
Australia
Directed by: Richard Franklin
Stars: Susan Penhaligon, Robert Helpmann and Robert Thompson
IMDb score:
6,2 (4.611)
Releasedate: 1 October 1978
Patrick plot
"He's in a coma... Yet, he can kill..."
After the gruesome murder of his mother and her lover, Patrick is in a coma. Patrick has been in a coma for three years and no one is bothered by him. When a beautiful nurse starts working at the hospital, Patrick tries to communicate with her. While some members of the staff are killed in the most brutal of ways, Nurse Jackard learns that there must be more than just coincidence.
Actors and actresses
Patrick
Kathy Jacquard
Nurse Panicale
Dr. Roget
Ed Jacquard
Sister Williams
Dr. Brian Wright
Matron Cassidy
Patrick's Mother
Captain
Reviews & comments
Richard_Voorhees
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- 2311 messages
- 2135 votes
The fairly long running time kills the film a bit.
The film starts pretty solidly with a nice build-up of tension and a number of successful scenes. I thought the "pool scene" was put together quite nicely. Unfortunately after that we get a pretty long middle section with a lot of bullshit about the consciousness of Patrick.
The ending is quite nice if you ask me and Patrick certainly knows how to give the viewer a successful last "thrill".
Due to the rather long-winded middle part, the film ripples along a bit too slowly, but otherwise this film managed to keep me quite interested. Nice for the die hard horror fan who wants to delve into the "roots" of the genre.
I'm curious about that remake, because this seems like a movie that could use an upgrade to the current thriller/horror standards.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7652 messages
- 4561 votes
At the center of the film is (or actually lies) the namesake of the film. Once, in a fit of jealousy, he electrocuted his mother and her lover. He has now been in a clinic for three years. Lying on a bed in a coma and on a ventilator. All his senses are disabled. He is an empty shell. Yet he does not appear to be entirely lifeless. He has developed a kind of sixth sense with which he wants to captivate the beautiful nurse Kathy. I understand that.
Director Richard Franklin and screenwriter Everett De Roche take the time to tell the story. You could even call the film a slow burner. The course unfolds thoughtfully and calmly. Since the running time is almost two hours and the premise is quite simple, some unnecessarily long scenes creep in every now and then that take place outside the clinic and make the focus wane. That sometimes takes a while, but as soon as the focus turns back to the clinic, the tension increases again.
To blame is the comatose Patrick, who, with ever-open eyes staring into nothingness, is a terrifying presence even in his ultimate state of passivity. An unremitting decor of sounds also contributes to the tense atmosphere. Beeping monitors. Buzzing electrical wires. Striking the keys of a typewriter. Simple, subtle and effective. In other words, how you can successfully create a wonderfully ominous atmosphere with limited resources.
And so "Patrick“, with a simple and not very original story and some dragging scenes that don't justify the long playing time, is nevertheless an atmospheric and exciting horror/thriller and a nice surprise, which I had a good time.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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