Patrick (1978)

   

Produced & Directed by: Richard Franklin

Written by: Everett De Roche

Starring:

Susan Penhaligon .... Kathy Jacquard
Robert Helpmann .... Dr. Roget
Ron Mullinar .... Ed Jacquard
Bruce Barry .... Dr. Brian Wright
Julia Blake .... Matron Cassidy
Helen Hemingway .... Sister Williams
Maria Mercedes .... Nurse Panicale
Robert Thompson .... Patrick

Release Dates:
Theatrical: October 1, 1978 (Australia); May 9, 1979 (France); September 7, 1979 (USA); April 18, 1980 (Finland); June 2, 1980 (Sweden)

 

 

 

 

Rating:

 

A psychopath named Patrick (Robert Thompson) electrocutes his mother and her lover in a baqthtub and then lays comatose in a small private hospital for four years and his only action being his involuntary spitting.
A beautiful young nurse named Kathy Jaquard (Susan Penhaligon) has just separated from her husband and starts her job at the hospital. She takes quite an interest to Patrick as she senses that he's communicating with her through his spitting and using his special powers to try and kill the men that communicate with her to manipulate events in her life.
He communicates with her through a typewriter as he seems fascinated with her and wants no other guy to be with her and will try to kill with his mind if he has to as well as control everyone's actions too in a horrible way.

 

A great beginning on Patrick lying there with the camera panning on a couple having an affair in the other room which shows a good dark feeling to it as well as Patrick later on going in the other room trying to electrocute them with an electric heater while they're taking a bath which looked truly intense.
A nice moment with Kathy Jacquard entering the hospital room and Patrick just lying there wide eyed and coming up to him and he spits which almost makes you jump. Very well done.
A good shot on a matron trying to write something and falling asleep with a disply on her table slowly moving.
There's a nice moment with Kathy sitting at a poolside smoking a cigarette while Dr. Brian Wright tried to introduce himself to her and she acts a little stand offish with nice shots on him swimming in the pool and then he is struggling as if something is pulling him down which grabs your attention quite well wondering if he will survive and Kathy herself looking concerned and walking over towards him and holding out her hand.
We have a good moment with Kathy in the hospital room talking on the phone with Ed Jacquard on the other line and she acts aggressive towards him and hangs up which looked believeably done on a dispute. Then we have a good moment with her and Patrick when he spits and she tries to communicate with him after a good slap in the face on him along with a nice close up shot on him with a tear shedding. There's nice effective communication with her when she feels him and asks if he can feel her touching him.
A perfect scene with the matron acting stern towards Kathy giving her a warning about her behavior with the patients in the asylum and what will happen if she does it again.
There's a terrific moment with Kathy typing away and then the words are changing along with the camera shots on Patrick lying on the hospital bed.
There's a good moment with Dr. Roget by acting obnoxious towards Nurse Panicale to activate a heater or tripping out when Patrick lets out a spit. We have another shot o nPatrick slowly turning his head towards Panicale with a perfect terrifying scream.
There's terrific shots with both Kathy and Brian in the room using a strobe light on Patrick along with a nice presence on the matron by trying to put her hand on the doorkbnob to the room and constantly acts hesiant and having strange reactions.
Then we have a good shot onthe matron walking into an electricity room about to pull down the handle to the power switch with some shocking reactions.
We have a nice moment with Dr. Roget bringing a knife towards Patrick and then holding back along with a nice blow on him falling into the hallway then acting crazy towards Kathy acting in a panic craze.
We have a nice scene with Kathy on the typewriter trying to communicate with Patrick and a bunch of supernatural forces happening like things exploding or files blowing papers in the air.
Bottom line is that this is a very strange film but extremely mysterious with some supernatural events like you'd see in the Exorcist, The Omen and Rosemary's Baby but this film had nothing to do with the devil at all.
You want to wonder if this psychopath will ever awaken and kill someone but it really is interesting that he kills with his mind by possessing others and using special forces through his mind too. It's one of those movies that stands on it's own and a very memorable one for many horror fans who likes to get psyched out on what the hell is going on. You'd wonder big time on the mind of this maniac and how he communicates while being in a coma which was truly freaky.
This film can give you nightmares if you really got into it too. The film is totally psyched out like I mentioned that it leaves a chill down your spine the performance was that creepy with everyone.

The acting is very well done for it's time in which lead actress Susan Penhaligon (Kathy Jacquard) seemed to have studied her role nicely by playing a nurse in training with her nice attitude and at the same time her aggressions as well. There's a good blocking reaction with her in a trance this time trying to put a needle in her arm near the end of her performance.
Robert Helpmann
(Dr. Roget) is terrific with his intensity and obnoxious attitude making his role as a realistic employer who is not easy to work with.
Ron Mullinar
(Ed Jacquard) really brings on the charm with his bubbly attitude and understanding behavior for his part in the film being the typical nice guy next door kind.
Bruce Barry
(Dr. Brian Wright) was right on with his seriousness and one of the prime targets of Patrick's who knew how to act powerful when he wanted to be.
Julia Blake
(Matron Cassidy) was probably the one who stood out the most with her aggressive and prickly actions as the head matron of the asylum showing good expressions too. Also shows off a good aggressive expression and her forceful words when she warns someone.
Robert Thompson
(Patrick) had no lines at all and mainly stayed in his hospital bed but he really looked great with his wide paranoid looking eyes and non expressions being in a coma.

There's a brief nude scene with both Paul Young and Marilyn Rogers having a lustful moment together in bed and in a bathtub.
Maria Mercedes
is swimming topless and her breasts are briefly exposed.

There's a burned hand
A woman's face is badly scarred to death

Composer Brian May performs alot of good quivering violin playing with some drum thumping sounds for the real suspenseful moments with the good typical high pitched violin sounds too like you'd picture in a murder mystery with some low piano poundings for the supernatural events revolving around Patrick. Of course we have some neat synthesizer dark sounds too.
Tons of great violin squealing music when the closing credits starts and then some peaceful piano playing with a flute blending int too and some relaxing violin orchestra tunes combining it alltogether giving the ending a nice touch.

Whitney: The piranhas...
Buck Gardner: What about the goddamn piranhas?
Whitney: They're eating the guests, sir.

Dumont: People eat fish, Grogan. Fish don't eat people.

Maggie McKeown: That guard is still out there.
Paul Grogan: Fine, I need you to distract him.
Maggie McKeown: What for?
Paul Grogan: So I can get away.
Maggie McKeown: So YOU can get away? What about me?
Paul Grogan: Well suit yourself. Just come onto him, tell him what an admirer you are of Army or something like that.
Maggie McKeown: What if he's gay?
Paul Grogan: Then I'll go and distract him!