Product Details

• Actors: Susan Penhaligon, Robert Helpmann, Rod Mullinar, Bruce Barry, Julia Blake
• Directors: Richard Franklin
• Writers: Everett De Roche
• Producers: Richard Franklin, Antony I. Ginnane, William Fayman
• Format: Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: ELITE ENTERTAINMENT
• DVD Release Date: November 19, 2002
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003PE93
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,737 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Patrick" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Following in the bloody footsteps of Brian De Palma's Carrie comes Australia's offering of telekinetic terror. Part twisted love story, part supernatural thriller, Patrick tells the story of a comatose patient (Robert Thompson) who falls in love with his nubile new nurse, Kathy (Susan Penhaligon). Sadly enough, his only means of communication are via electricity, spitting, and general death and destruction. Suspense mounts as Patrick begins to infiltrate Kathy's life, and head nurse Matron Cassidy (played wickedly by Julia Blake) develops evil schemes of her own. Director Richard Franklin (Psycho II) manages efficient performances from the cast, and upon release Patrick was nominated for Best Film by the Australian Film Institute (but played the drive-in chain in the U.S.). This may not be the frightfest promised in the tag line ("Patrick is in a coma... yet, he can kill"), but Patrick still proves to be an interesting diversion and provides some absolutely terrifying glimpses of late-'70s fashion. --Matt Wold

From the Back Cover

After violently murdering his mother and her lover, young Patrick lays comatose is a small private hospital. When a pretty young nurse, just separated from her husband, begins working at the hospital, she senses that Patrick is trying to communicate with her, while others in her life are being killed in most mysterious ways.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epitome of Suspense, February 23, 2003

By 

James A. Dean (Arlington, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Patrick (DVD)

This film is one of the creepiest, most suspenseful films you will ever watch. The "comatose" reviewer below must have been just that, because he needs to change his bong water. I would defy anyone to watch this movie and not be engrossed. Fine acting throughout, this isn't some chessy film by any stretch. If you liked a movie like "Dead Calm", for instance, you'll like this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A blast from the past; Franklin's homage to Hitchcock, December 27, 2002

By 

hippiedj "hippiedj" (Palm Desert, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patrick (DVD)

FINALLY! The complete Australian language version of Richard Franklin's gem from 1978!

An enigmatic young man kills his mother, and winds up in a coma in a private hospital. Enter the pretty nurse who discovers Patrick has capabilities no one seems to know (or admit) about.
For those that are thrill seekers, this film is not a fast-paced action-packed story. BUT, for those of us that appreciate characters over wild thrills, and enjoy careful buildups to a final reveal, this one is nicely done. There IS a reason it was an initial success and has gained a big cult following, people understood Franklin's intentions.

Sure, Patrick is not Citizen Kane, but it is a nice mystery with great performances, a keen sense of humour ("self-referential humour" as it has been described), and some rather strong adult content for what was supposed to be a PG-rated film, even back in 1978. I first saw it theatrically and was surprised by its content, but appreciated the homages to Hitchcock (which Franklin carefully points out in many scenes on the DVD's commentary), and Brian May's score has a nice Herrmann-esque feel. I was only disappointed that it was dubbed with American actors. Finally seeing this film in the original Australian language version on DVD made me like this film a lot more 25 years later.

Synapse's 2009 edition is anamorphic widescreen (Elite's out-of-print DVD is not) and has the basic extras: two theatrical trailers, a commentary by Franklin and writer Everett De Roche. There's an easy to find easter egg (on the Elite edition at least) that features cover art for different soundtrack releases as well. The filmographies are quite thorough, for fans of Australian cinema.

While this film is not extremely original, it still provides enough intrigue for those who look deeper into films that the general public would brush off. Patrick could be considered an acquired taste, so those who are familiar with it and liked it will find this DVD a very satisfying purchase and a nice surprise to see it in its original form. Others be warned, you might stick with more familiar "blockbuster hits."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good Australian horror thriller, March 11, 2009

By 

Michael Andrews "movie buff" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Patrick (Special Edition) (DVD)

I first saw this film on tv as a kid many years ago and found it very interesting even then. A young sociopath named Patrick kills his mother and her lover, ends up in a coma. A young nurse tends to him only to discover theres something a little....unusual about her patient. Pretty soon, bizarre deaths and accidents start to occur to people around her. Could the comatose Patrick be responsible????? Good character performances from Susan Penhaligan, Robert Helpmann as the cranky old doctor at the medical institute, and more....Strong creepy film.