Patrick (2014)

the audience applauded

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

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Charles Dance provides his typical more than adequate performance; however, everyone else involved (except maybe the writer) is clearly an amateur. I was not scared at all, nor was I really ever nervous or intrigued. The writing was... eh... competent at best, but the plot had the intensity and pace of a talking statue. Sharni Vinson has been a joke any time she steps in front of a camera, come to think of it, none of the cast, other than Mr. Dance, should have been paid, like at all. The performances were not a surprise, making them consistent with the plot. Avoid... avoid... AVOID!!! Unless you're into reliving the trauma of a bad cinematic experience, or enjoy seeing a man's naked @$$... twice. I guess I must be into the former, definitely not the latter, but that's just me.

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.

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.

Low budget Australian affair about an obscure and remote mental "hospital" whose star patient, Patrick, forges a bloody bond with new smart and able but unsuspecting nurse Kathy Jacquard (Sharni Vinson). The opening prologue seems to promise another predictably lame slasher flick, and the entire film is a little slow to develop, yet the last half-hour or so entails some interesting and creative layers and twists. This film becomes a lot more distinct once we get to know Patrick's story. Decent all-around acting, with good performances by the three women who play the nurses: Vinson, Rachel Griffiths, and Peta Sergeant.It seems the makers were trying to create a circa 1950 Gothic horror film set in the age of GPS with modern horror tropes (something like that). A valiant attempt, but PATRICK would have been better if it were more consistently modern. Many of the props (nurses' uniforms, etc) look unrealistically antiquated, and the outside views of the hospital. . .well, you can tell it's not an actual building. The constant rubber stamp suspense symphony soundtrack also gets a little annoying--There's just no need for it except in a few select spots. All the same, none of the various weaker points should get too much in the way if you're a big horror fan.Some brief "incidental" nudity and a fair measure of really nasty-gory death and dismemberment. Still, PATRICK makes good use of its gore, using it briefly and shockingly.