Patrick (2014)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Best movie ever!

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Signing up to work at a mental health facility, a nurse finds the growing attachment of a brain-dead patient with her is causing him to lash out with his supernatural powers at those around her and forces her to stop his deadly games.This turned out to be quite an enjoyable and overall entertaining remake. What really works for this one is the fact that so much of what happens here comes off as genuinely freaky and quite chilling, as the completely comatose person laying there gives off an utterly freaky look here that never really looks normal yet is given quite a large amount of happenstance to prove otherwise. From his initial reactions around her that aren't quite right yet perfectly within the realm of realism which happens to make their continued time together all the more creepy by how far it veers off into that kind of dangerous territory. From the inconsequential marks of how he warps into her life by stealing away all the different parts of her to force her to keep coming back, it takes the sudden use of technology of how he communicates to get the point across that something's really wrong and that sets up the fine final half here which is all sorts of fun. With the action coming from his manipulation of not only the objects around him but also possessing people to continue his bidding, it makes for quite the frantic series of events here with tons of fantastic encounters trying to get past the possessed minions, playing his deranged games to save everyone and finding all the charred bodies and extremely graphic kills first hand makes for a truly enjoyable, thrilling series of events to really end this one on a high. As well, the general sleaze and depravity here makes for a much nicer watch than expected with a bit more going for it in that regard than would normally be the case here which altogether causes this a lot of fun and more than enough to hold off the few small problem areas. The biggest issue to overcome here is the completely bland and banal back-story given here that's supposed to make us side with him and his obsession with her yet does nothing in terms of making him into a sympathetic figure. Showing the treatment from his mother isn't so much a sympathetic ploy but instead one that completely justifies his condition by being such a deranged lunatic, and one that also never manages to account for his supernatural powers here which is quite shocking since that's such a major part of the story that never gets fully solved. The last problematic area here is the rather lengthy amount of time here before any kind of supernatural activity manifests itself, since this is so based on that it tends to lose focus for the first hour or so here by letting the storyline develop yet it doesn't really give off much of a hint about it's supernatural origins for much of the time in doing so which lets this wander along until finally coming out with such scenes at the end. While this isn't too bad as these first half scenes are quite watchable without stumbling too badly, it is noticeable here.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and a mild sex scene.

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 scientist's 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......Having never seen the original movie, I had nothing to compare it with, so I went in cold, and kept my expectations reasonably high, because it had Charles Dance in it, and he's a wonderful actor.And he's the best thing about this movie, which he and Griffiths save from becoming just an average horror movie. That little bit of class from those two, add a lot of gravitas to the overall narrative. The story is simple enough, comatose patient with telekinetic powers becomes obsessed with someone who has given him a little too much empathy, and instead of heeding the warnings from the matron, albeit in sinister form, she still endeavours to communicate with the titular character, and obviously he wants to return the empathy.But it's good fun, and particularly creepy in places, but alas, some of the effects can be very very good, and other of the effects can be bloomin' awful, see the doctor in car peril for some truly dreadful CGI.But these are minor quibbles for what is a nice little movie. The house is particularly creepy, and the final third is all out bonkers, but very tense never the less.If you can find it, see it, I highly recommend it.

I liked the horror film Patrick very much, but its remake, Patrick: Evil Awakens, is a very entertaining film on its own merits, so I didn't need a "nostalgic filter" to enjoy it. The first thing I have to say is that Patrick: Evil Awakens is that it mustn't be taken very seriously, because its impulsive narrative freely flows between the solemnity and the satire, emulating '70s horror cinema with a beautiful cinematography, sinister architecture and bombastic music, not to mention the over the top drama from the last 20 minutes, when big secrets are revealed and serious decisions are taken in the middle of violent murders and experiments from a mad scientist. In summary, a film which is difficult to classify, but easy to appreciate because of the enthusiasm and dedication with which it was made. And then, we have solid performances from most of the cast, starting by Sharni Vinson, who had left me astonished as the "final girl" from You're Next. In Patrick: Evil Awakens, she brings another credible and enthusiastic work. Charles Dance brings a perfect performance as the twisted genius, giving him a subtext of emotional instability which makes him more frightening than any prosaic villain who is motivated by his mere evilness. The only weak spot of the cast is Damon Gameau, who feels a bit insipid and listless as the gallant. Another negative element is the implementation of a few totally digital scenes which feel a bit out of place in a film which is so respectful of the '70s aesthetic. Nevertheless, I found Patrick: Evil Awakens a very competent remake, and I enjoyed it pretty much, so I consider it worthy of a recommendation.

I have not seen the rare "cult" classic that this is a remake of but I would hazard to guess that this a pretty fair homage to that film. Honestly, it does a lot of things right and does very well on what I would imagine was a mediocre budget. The acting is solid, the story is okay (very campy at times but wasn't all good 80's horror?), the gore factor and kills are unique and fun and definitely reminiscent of the slasher era horror films. Whomever made this was definitely a fan of that age (as I am) because you can see and feel the style in it. I really don't think this will floor anyone and as hard as it tries it does stumble a lot and the pacing feels a little slow at times and you wait a long time from kill to kill even in the end during the climatic finale which was actually quite good. The use of modern technology for Patrick to communicate was a nice touch and he is definitely a worthwhile slasher considering he never leaves his bed essentially and uses his mind to kill. The direction of the film is honestly spot on from the opening scene to using the bleak asylum/hospital. There were absolutely scenes in this that would get under my skin and I absolutely recommend watching it at night in the dark to get the full effect.Sharni Vinson actually does an excellent job as our scream queen. In fact, I would say she is near perfect in the role. That's not to say its a brilliant role but she is perfect in it. She's strong willed and screams and runs just as good as any Jamie Lee Curtis of her day. This is the second time she has impressed me in a horror film (the first being the average You're Next which she was excellent in.) She seems to just up the ante on any average horror flick she has been in so far. Let's get her into a top notch horror flick. Charles Dance was also very good (if not slightly underused) as the head doctor. He is appropriately creepy, evil and performs very well. The chemistry in the scenes between him and Vinson are very good. The supporting cast gets less and less used and they give good performances but ultimately they are fodder for Patrick but they don't get a chance to really impress. Still definitely worth mentioning Rachel Griffiths, Peta Sergeant and Martin Crewes in their respective roles. In a script that was perhaps just a little bit more polished this cast would have been considered terrific. I even have to give kudos to Jackson Gallagher who played Patrick because it can't be an easy role to be a believable killer while being completely comatose.Director Mark Hartley has a lot of experience in documentary film making and I think is pretty much his first feature film. He absolutely deserves a chance again with a bigger budget or something of his own device because he has a distinct style and the film hits all the right notes. The climactic ending is very nearly excellent and if the film didn't stumble so much in the middle it could have been at least rated an 8. However, it can't go unnoticed that after great make up effects and gory deaths that a few of the end scenes involve some terrible and campy and unnecessary CGI. The script could have used some experience behind it to tighten up some loose ends but you know for an indie horror flick that reeks of 80's slasher homage...this would fun to watch. I haven't seen anything lately (especially in the indie horror genre) that actually succeeded on several levels. You can't go in expecting a masterpiece because its not. However, for what it is and if you watch it for fun you will find a lot of redeemable and entertaining qualities about it. I'd certainly be up for a sequel and I intend on tracking down the original too!! 7/10