Patrick (2013) – Review

Posted by maria kriva on August 22, 2014 · 5 Comments 

Continuing the glimpse into foreign productions, here’s Patrick, a horror-thriller from the land Down Under starring the talented Australian actress Sharni Vinson (also seen in You’re Next). The 1978 Patrick remake is here to give life once again to a vicious mental health patient with great telekinetic powers.

Unfortunately, in this case, Vinson’s good performance is not enough to make Patrick shine and it’s unlikely it’ll make it into the horror repertoire of remarkable productions.

The story follows Nurse Kathy Jacguard (Sharni Vinson), who started a new job at a remote psychiatric clinic. The facility is run by Dr Roget (Charles Dance) and his daughter Matron Cassidy (Rachel Griffiths), two eerie and unfriendly figures that definitely seem to hide dark secrets.

The patient in room 15, Patrick (Jackson Gallagher) – a young and attractive man in a comatose state, catches Kathy’s attention and she has reasons to believe that he’s is more than meets the eye.

In this forgotten by civilization place, located in a secluded area on a wild, steep cliff Nurse Kathy tries to cope with Dr Roget’s unorthodox methods, all the while getting over her weird feeling that there’s a bizarre, evil energy in the clinic.

Her compassion towards Patrick and her eagerness to interfere into Roget’s activities will culminate in an absolute mayhem that will leave a bunch of tormented casualties behind.

The misty setting is accompanied by a few jump-scares that can’t really fool anyone, especially those who are experienced in horror. Loud noises and people appearing out of nowhere making Vinson jump are particularly often, but are certainly weak to provoke any kind of fear. The setting is successfully atmospheric, but director Mark Hartley’s effort to make it scary seems to fail.

On the bright side, the story progresses quickly and smoothly and the viewers can effortlessly follow the storyline. However, with no surprising twists, the plot seems to run in a predictable and easy pace.

For those who pay attention to detail, a few plot holes every now and then could be a major bummer and it seems that there was room for way more improvement. Some scenes are left with no explanation, which could potentially cause some sort of confusion, but luckily these scenes are not vital for the development of the plot.

On the whole, 2013’s Patrick is not a movie that will keep the viewers on the edge of their seats and if one work by Sharni Vinson is to be remembered, that one deserves to be You’re Next rather than Patrick. In all fairness, Australia has offered some amazing productions in the horror genre, thus one minor setback won’t harm anyone.

And to quote Tom Hanks in Apollo 13: Houston, we have a problem. And that problem is Patrick. 4/10

 

Filed under Review · Tagged with Australia, comatose, Horror, patient, Patrick, psychiatric clinic, Remake, sharni vinson, telekinetic powers