Coventry This is a rather inconspicuous Aussie remake of a largely inconspicuous Aussie 70's cult classic with the same title. Clearly inspired by Brian DePalma's successful blockbuster "Carrie", the 1978 "Patrick", directed by Richard Franklin and written by Everett De Roche, is an uncomfortably tense and truly creepy horror-thriller in which the telekinetic teenage girl is replaced with a telekinetic comatose guy. The film was never really huge, but always popular amongst a selected group of cult fanatics – yours truly included. Thanks to the recent revival of Aussie exploitation cinema and the complementary documentary "Not Quite Hollywood", all these 70's and 80's classics are back into the spotlights and there even came a few remakes. This one comes straight from the gifted Mark Hartley, creator of the aforementioned super documentary as well as "Machete Maidens Unleashed", so I actually had good hope that "Patrick" would be a good old-fashioned and splendid Aussie horror gem. But is it really a good film? Yes and no. I can't deny that I overall enjoyed my viewing and Hartley definitely knows how to create atmosphere and blend all the traditional horror ingredients together. "Patrick" is chock-full of eerie dark rooms, uncanny sound effects, abandoned places and isolated locations. The female protagonist is sweet and vulnerable while the supportive characters are menacing and full of grim secrets. It's a textbook horror movie that makes you jump and look away from the screen at the exact right strategic moments and makes the most out of its familiar subject matter. On the other hand "Patrick" was quite a disappointment, mainly due to the excessive use of lousy special effects and the overenthusiastic shock- sequences that are often just downright ridiculous. Running from her troubled relationship, intelligent young nurse Kathy applies for a resident position in Dr. Roget's clinic for long-term comatose patients. Whilst Dr. Roget conducts unethical and illegal experiments in the basement, Kathy develops a strange bond with patient Patrick. Besides spitting in her face as a sign of affection, Patrick has telekinetic powers and writes possessive messages to Kathy via her laptop. His obsession doesn't stop there, however, and soon he starts killing off the men who come too close to her as well. "Patrick" owes a lot to its cast members. It simply has to be said that the ravishing and multi-talented Sharni Vinson effortlessly carries the entire film, and it's always a pleasure to watch Charles Dance, especially when he depicts a remorseless and self-centered bastard. Peta Sergeant and Rachel Griffiths (known from "Six Feet Under") give good support to the lovely Sharni, but Jackson Gallagher - a bit of an Aston Kutcher clone - doesn't have the same menacing charisma as the actor in the original 70's film. The last fifteen minutes and particularly the climax are over-the- top sadistic, but overall I'd recommend this film to genre fans.

TheMarwood Patrick attempts to have more jolts per minute than any film ever, yet doesn't stick a single jump scare. Bathed in atmosphere, this very well shot throwback to 40s and 50s mad scientist horror, feels like a lost Hammer horror relic. Kathy, well played by Sharni Vinson, takes a job as a nurse in a house of horrors that's doing research on comatose patients. It's not before long that the evil comatose Patrick begins communicating with her with his psychic powers and she gets pulled further into this silly story with a mad scientist - a head nurse who is so serious she could only be employed in this place and medical research that usually involves creeping around spooky settings and angrily applying electro-shock. Half baked love interest subplot for Kathy and an ex of hers, is totally extraneous. Patrick is a fun film that pulls out every horror filmmaking trick in the book and while it's never scary for a moment, it's a solid genre effort.

Claudio Carvalho The nurse Kathy Jacquard (Sharni Vinson) travels to an isolated psychiatric clinic seeking a new job to forget her former boyfriend Ed Penhaligon (Damon Gameau). She is interviewed by the chief of the nurses Matron Cassidy (Rachel Griffiths) and by Doctor Roget (Charles Dance) and he asks Cassidy to hire her. Kathy befriends Nurse Williams (Peta Sergeant) that introduces her friend Brian Wright (Martin Crewes) to her. Kathy feels attracted by the comatose patient Patrick (Jackson Gallagher), who is the guinea pig in cruel and unethical experiments of Dr. Roget. She also learns that Patrick actually feels the external stimulus inflicted by Dr. Roget. Further she finds a means to communicate with Patrick and soon she discovers that he has the power of telekinesis. Kathy decides to help Patrick that becomes obsessed for her. Patrick uses his ability to harm and kill everyone close to Kathy and she realizes that he is an evil threat that must be destroyed. Will it be possible? "Patrick" is an average horror movie with a story that entwines a mad scientist in a hospital with telekinesis. The plot recalls those movies from the 70's and 80's and I found that it is a remake of an unknown 1978 Australian flick. This movie entertains but is absolutely forgettable. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Patrick, O Despertar do Mal" ("Patrick, The Awakening of the Evil")

arfdawg-1 When a young nurse begins work at an isolated psychiatric ward, she quickly becomes fascinated with Patrick, a brain dead patient who is the subject of a mad scientist's cruel and unusual experiments. What starts as an innocent fascination quickly takes a sinister turn as Patrick begins to use his psychic powers to manipulate her every move, and send her life into a terrifying spiral out of control.Dumb out dated plot. It's filmed well enough but the concept is a 70s concept and just so dumb today.The film should never have been re-made.As I've said, the film is made well.But it's such a stoopid concept today.