Patrick, the coma patient at the center of Mark Hartley's horror/thriller "Patrick", is a lot of things. He's mysterious. He's persistent. He's psychotic. But he's not very clever. The same could be said of the movie.
"Patrick" is an Australian remake of a 1978 Aussie film of the same name. In both movies, the plot revolves around the strange relationship that develops between a young nurse, Kathy, and her comatose patient. Normally, that kind of thing would be pretty one- sided considering that one of the participants can neither communicate nor move. Fortunately in this case, Patrick does manage to 'talk', first by spitting and then later through computers and cell phones, and he's able to get out and about. Not on his own, of course, but with the help of several hapless supporting players he 'possesses' from time to time.
Most of the action takes place in the hospital where Patrick is undergoing experimental treatments to revive accident victims left in a vegetative state. It's not really a hospital, though. We're told it used to be a convent. Given the Gothic architecture, antique electronics, and generally sinister vibe the place gives off – not to mention the large Virgin Mary statue that looms over everything – we can believe it.
Note to self: If ever badly injured and in need of long term care, find a place that's approved by your HMO.
Anywho, strange things start to happen the minute Patrick and Nurse Kathy meet. She senses there's more to her patient than meets the eye and he well, he pretty much just lies there. Still, the two form a bond. This despite the rules and warnings issued by Matron Cassidy, the senior administrator who makes Nurse Ratched look like a giddy candy striper, and Doctor Roget, who's played by Charles Dance so you just know he's up to no good. The first half of the movie does a fairly good job of keeping things suspenseful as nurse and patient go through their getting-to-know-you phase. Turns out Kathy has a possessive ex- husband and Patrick is a homicidal stalker.
Hey, what couple doesn't have issues?
The second half of the movie is devoted to Patrick's attempts to make Kathy his own and this is where we find out he's kind of a jerk. He can communicate through computer screens and cell phones, but his messages are cryptic at best. He can also control people and things with his mind, but he's not very nice about it. Consider: at one point, Kathy has a suitor and Patrick doesn't like it. So he takes control of the guy's car one night and drives him off a cliff. There are a lot of cliffs in the area, so this is a solid plan. But rather than just kill him, Patrick brings the car to the very edge of the cliff, stops it right at the precipice, then sloooowly sends it over the edge. It's one thing to murder your rival, but do you really need to be a dick about it?
Patrick does that kind of thing a couple more times before the end credits roll. You start to wonder if he couldn't have made life simpler for himself and just done the deeds quickly. It's like those James Bond villains who keep coming up with elaborate and torturous death traps when a simple bullet to the head would have done the trick. Yes, Patrick, it's gnarly to watch people take a needle to the eye or burn their hands on a Foreman Grill, but is that the best way to get the job done?
Of course, these gruesome scenes do serve the purpose of giving our heroine, Kathy, plenty of time to get suspicious, get terrified, and finally get angry. You've seen it all before, many times. It's the way B-horror movies work and why mess with tradition.
"Patrick" is an Australian remake of a 1978 Aussie film of the same name. In both movies, the plot revolves around the strange relationship that develops between a young nurse, Kathy, and her comatose patient. Normally, that kind of thing would be pretty one- sided considering that one of the participants can neither communicate nor move. Fortunately in this case, Patrick does manage to 'talk', first by spitting and then later through computers and cell phones, and he's able to get out and about. Not on his own, of course, but with the help of several hapless supporting players he 'possesses' from time to time.
Most of the action takes place in the hospital where Patrick is undergoing experimental treatments to revive accident victims left in a vegetative state. It's not really a hospital, though. We're told it used to be a convent. Given the Gothic architecture, antique electronics, and generally sinister vibe the place gives off – not to mention the large Virgin Mary statue that looms over everything – we can believe it.
Note to self: If ever badly injured and in need of long term care, find a place that's approved by your HMO.
Anywho, strange things start to happen the minute Patrick and Nurse Kathy meet. She senses there's more to her patient than meets the eye and he well, he pretty much just lies there. Still, the two form a bond. This despite the rules and warnings issued by Matron Cassidy, the senior administrator who makes Nurse Ratched look like a giddy candy striper, and Doctor Roget, who's played by Charles Dance so you just know he's up to no good. The first half of the movie does a fairly good job of keeping things suspenseful as nurse and patient go through their getting-to-know-you phase. Turns out Kathy has a possessive ex- husband and Patrick is a homicidal stalker.
Hey, what couple doesn't have issues?
The second half of the movie is devoted to Patrick's attempts to make Kathy his own and this is where we find out he's kind of a jerk. He can communicate through computer screens and cell phones, but his messages are cryptic at best. He can also control people and things with his mind, but he's not very nice about it. Consider: at one point, Kathy has a suitor and Patrick doesn't like it. So he takes control of the guy's car one night and drives him off a cliff. There are a lot of cliffs in the area, so this is a solid plan. But rather than just kill him, Patrick brings the car to the very edge of the cliff, stops it right at the precipice, then sloooowly sends it over the edge. It's one thing to murder your rival, but do you really need to be a dick about it?
Patrick does that kind of thing a couple more times before the end credits roll. You start to wonder if he couldn't have made life simpler for himself and just done the deeds quickly. It's like those James Bond villains who keep coming up with elaborate and torturous death traps when a simple bullet to the head would have done the trick. Yes, Patrick, it's gnarly to watch people take a needle to the eye or burn their hands on a Foreman Grill, but is that the best way to get the job done?
Of course, these gruesome scenes do serve the purpose of giving our heroine, Kathy, plenty of time to get suspicious, get terrified, and finally get angry. You've seen it all before, many times. It's the way B-horror movies work and why mess with tradition.