Patrick (1978) (Blu-ray/DVD Review)
Directed By: Richard Franklin
Starring: Susan Penhaligon, Robert Helpmann, Rod Mullinar
Rated: R/Region A/2:35/1080p/Number of Discs 2
Available from Severin Films
The original Ozploitation classic is back like you’ve never seen it before: Robert Thompson stars as a comatose killer seemingly unresponsive in a small private hospital. But when a hot new nurse begins to question his condition, Patrick will unleash a waking nightmare of psychokinetic carnage. Sir Robert Helpmann co-stars in this international hit shocker produced by Antony I. Ginnane, written by Everett De Roche and directed by Richard Franklin, now transferred in HD from the original negative for the first time ever and loaded with new and archival Extras never before available in America.
Patrick is an odd movie with a very odd lead villain. It is also a movie with a slow burn but in the case of this film that slow burn doesn’t really hurt things at all and seems to add to it’s environment a bit. Patrick is like a Carrie character but seems much more sinister and it is all due to him falling in love with his new nurse. Now as that same nurse discovers that Patrick is much more than a comatose vegetable she must deal with her feelings between two men and the deadly affection Patrick is now showing for her. It makes for a very interesting 112 minutes. And I admit that I did enjoy what we got here with this film overall.
Patrick’s supernatural abilities do get placed on display more than a time or two, with the results not being that gruesome but still entertaining. The strong acting is another thing that makes things all the more fun and interesting. Everyone from Patrick to our nurse is played to a tee by the people behind them. And if you are going to have a slower moving film you need to have great acting and this film hits a homerun in more than one essential department. If you have never seen Patrick before I think you might find it a bit of a lost gem in the world of horror thrillers. The transfer has that same yellow look the other Blu-rays from Severin released around the same time has, but the detail isn’t as lost at random times here as it was with the Dead Kids release.
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