After killing his mother and her lover by electrocution. Patrick is now in a coma, where he has been bed-ridden for the past three years in a private hospital. The reason for him being kept on life support is that the doctor in charge; Dr. Roget is using him in the experiment into exploring the territory between life and death. Kathy a new nurse arrives and the first job she is given is to look after Patrick. While, the other staff might not see it, Kathy starts to realize that Patrick has psychokinetic powers, which he uses to manipulate things to his likings.

This is one film I've always been pushing aside, but I finally took the chance and seeing a couple of favourable reviews also helped. "Patrick" I found to be an interesting genre piece that was above-average compared to most low-budget and knock-off horror flicks. But again it didn't entirely wow me altogether, but still the film really does string you along with it's slow grinding suspense and slick execution. There are some effective scenes that are illustrated with great skill, but the suspense comes mostly from the thoroughly, taut script. Which, it does comes rather thick in. If you're looking for any blood, you'll be highly disappointed as this centres around the psychological nature than anything psychical. There are some minor acts of violence with the most damaging sight being done to a frog, but it focus more so on the aftermath and rallying the suspense through the surprising developments. The subtle plot has some unique details where little hints and suggestiveness are build up in key areas. The back-story surrounding Patrick is interestingly, involving and we're given time with most of the characters. But it might be too slow for some tastes. I actually thought they could've tighten the film down from its two hour running time, because at times it did kind of linger. Director Richard Franklin also brings to the table influences from Hitchcock, but also he adds some masterstrokes to his self-assured and patient handling of the picture. The professional cinematography plays around with some sharp moving shots and on show is a multi-layered score that plunges you into the deep end. The unknown cast are more than adequate with a strong lead performance by Susan Penhaligon as Kathy and Robert Thompson's appearance is creepy when they cut to him laying in bed as the vegetable Patrick. Robert Helpmann also is decent enough as Dr. Roget and rest of the supporting cast deliver fine performances.

Overall, "Patrick" follows a familiar pattern, but its done quite well.

"Patrick" of 1978 is a slow-paced yet effective and weird little Austalian Horror film, that often seems like a drama more than a supernatural thriller. It is not an easy film to rate, but it sure was something completely different than I had expected before I first saw this. While I had expected to see a blood-soaked slasher, "Patrick" turned out to be a quite calm and slow-paced, but nonetheless eerie Thriller with a surprisingly elaborate plot...

Kathy (Susan Penhaligon), a young nurse who lives separated from her husband, finds a job in a mental hospital. As usual for new nurses, Kathy is assigned to care for Patrick (Robert Thompson), a sinister young comatose patient with an unholy past. While Patrick's only activity is his occasional spitting, the comatose man seems strangely alive...

While the film will probably not keep you on the edge of your chair in fear from the beginning to the end, it certainly delivers a certain tense and eerie atmosphere. This is not your film if you're looking for tons of blood and gore. To my surprise, "Patrick" was almost gore-less. Nevertheless, this film is definitely worth watching, both for its original storyline, and its eerie mood. The acting performances are good, though in no way outstanding. While Susan Penhaligon fits well in her role, I can't say that her performance impressed me. Robert Halperman and Julie Blake are very convincing in their roles, and even though the role may not call for the greatest acting skills, I must say that Robert Thompson was genuinely creepy as the eponymous character. There are two different scores for this version, one by Brian May for the Australian version, and one by Goblin for the European version. Even though European, my DVD (unfortunately) contains the Brian May score. Unfortunately, since as a hardcore fan of Italian Horror, Goblin-scores have become some of my favorite film soundtracks (and some of my favorite music to listen to). I will happily watch the movie again with the Goblin score, however.

"Patrick" may be a bit too slow-paced at times. Especially the strong focus on Kathy's private troubles is a bit superfluous. Nevertheless, this is an interesting little Horror film that true genre-fans will not regret watching. Especially recommendable for the eerie atmosphere! 6/10

Another cult classic from the land of Australia. This is a good one to have on the shelf of your movie collection, but it'll probably collect a fair bit of dust. It is good but a bit boring. It seems to drag on for too long until the ultimate climax. Patrick proves to be interesting and new but fails a few too many times along it's way for the quest.

Good enough for a one watch trick, but anything after that might as well just skip to the last 20 or so minutes. Interesting and surprisingly original with its concepts and also relatively well made considering its budget. Not Australia's best, but a good cult classic to have in your ultimate, but not essential, collection of movies.