Patrick (1978)

So after Road Games, I've been looking very much forward to Patrick, the very first collaboration between director Richard Franklin and writer Everett de Roche (Long Weekend.) One look at the synopsis was plenty enough to draw me in: a comatose killer that kills with his mind? Written and directed by people with talent? Sign me up!

When newly-independent housewife Kathy Jacquard takes a job opening at the nearby private Roget Clinic, she is quickly introduced to the building's most miserable specimen, the comatose Patrick, who was rendered a vegetable after a mysterious 'accident' three years ago. Some say it was probably the trauma of seeing his mother killed, as she was discovered fried together with her new lover in a bathtub in the home she and her son share, but Kathy's beginning to have her doubts. I mean, is everyone really so sure Patrick isn't responsible? And besides, why do the windows keep opening on their own? Why does the equipment in the hospital keep inexplicably malfunctioning? And worst of all, why is this strange phenomena following Kathy home every night long after she hangs up her scrubs?

As is usual for Franklin and de Roche, the script is dedicated to the tenets of old-fashioned Hollywood suspense and heavily influenced by the works of Alfred Hitchcock in particular. The tight construction of the story and the taut pacing of each scene that comprises it is on a level very few Hitchcock acolytes have ever been able to achieve, and yet this film was made for little money and with young, inexperienced talent at the helm.

And like Hitchcock films, just because it's a disturbing horror film doesn't mean it can't have some fun every now and again. Hell, that's what makes the horror actually effective. Here, many characters who could easily have been stock characters actually stand out and bring life and vigor to the film. Matron Cassidy is a joy to observe as she tortures our poor protagonist with her whip-smart quips and barbs. This is in no small part thanks to her actress, but the writing gives her every chance to shine, and shine she does. Ditto Dr. Roget, who despite fitting the mold of a corrupt doctor with a pet plaything he experiments on for nothing more than his own curiosity, still possesses no small amount of humanity.

These personalities are fun to watch Kathy bump heads with. She herself is lovable and easy to root for, though she does begin batting a low average towards the end of the film when she makes a series of really off-putting decisions that estranged me from her, especially when she realizes that she hasn't heard from her husband in several days and has not only made no effort to contact him, but also chose that moment to try out sleeping with another man just to see how it felt. Her husband disappeared trying to bring her flowers and a present, mind you. It's stomach-churningly cruel and awful, but it ends up making for an incredible climax, so it's no big deal. I guess what he doesn't know won't hurt him, as liars and cheats often like to say. 

And then there's Patrick. His actor also must be given props for bringing such a gravity to the role. His presence is commanding, drawing your attention every time he's in the frame. And he possesses a whole psychology that is fascinating to explore. His backstory is often shrouded in mystery, but we know plenty enough by the end of the film to psychoanalyze him, and he makes for a wonderful spiritual successor to the likes of Norman Bates.

As to be expected of something influenced heavily by one of cinema's greatest treasures, there is a surprising level of intelligence to this silly movie about a boy that can move things and influence people with his mind. Men love giving our heroine long speeches while demonstrating their ideas with whatever they have to hand at the time: frogs, oranges, doesn't matter, and their pontification is cinematic craftsmanship at its purest and most lovely. Though some of it is no more than window dressing, there are a whole stew of interesting ideas, questions, and themes being explored here within dialog that gives your brain something to chew on as the story moves along, and occasionally long after you've finished. 

The real, core theme takes a while to truly reveal itself, owing to the film's patience and discipline. We only find out the context of the opening scene, and thus begin to understand why Patrick does what he does, in the final quarter or so of the film, and thus, it's an effective reveal. Going right along with that is the film's general subtlety, like for example the crazy elderly patient only occasionally glimpsed or heard, who is heavily implied to have been driven insane by living next door to Patrick. Which reminds me: I love that they don't bother explaining how Patrick became comatose in very much detail, but I especially love that they don't try and explain how he is able to do what he does. No mention of astral projection or electricity or anything like that: it's just a given that he's able to do it through sheer evil, willpower, and hatred alone.

But none of any of this would matter much if the film wasn't so damn gripping. These guys know how to put you on the edge of your seat, again and again. It refers to itself on its original poster as a 'suspense thriller' and I wholeheartedly agree. Just wait until the final act. There are so many ticking clock elements and close calls, it's downright exhausting. 

It isn't just intense, though: it's fucking creepy, and at times rather startling. It's insane to think that this film was originally released in the US as PG. Where to start? I love that moment where our heroine calls up her estranged husband to complain about his drunken trashing of her apartment that night while she was out, and when we see his expression, it's clear that he is innocent. Which could only mean someone else did it, clearly implicating the titular monster of the film. Speaking of which, the scenes where he 'speaks' with Kathy are practically its centerpiece. Chilling hardly does it justice. But don't think it's afraid to get trashy, either: the final jump scare would be offensively manipulative if it weren't so awesome and rather hilarious. Incidentally, the final frame of the film does something every horror film and their brother does now and forever, and yet this is a particularly strong example of such a 'sequel hook.'

Technically, Patrick shows its age. Grainy, washed out, and soft, even when it isn't just straight-up out of focus. It's a look that I personally love because it looks so real, but I can understand others just seeing it as 'old.' But it was a low budget film shot in the seventies. What did you expect? And really, that industrial film look only adds to the film's sterile hospital setting and atmosphere, though I'll be the first to admit the visuals weren't exactly a highlight of the film. What was a highlight was the rather lavish orchestral score, odd for such a low-budget film, and a horror film at that, but it's used effectively, knowing when to be melodic and when to get atonal and screechy. I've already mentioned a few of the strong performances, but really, they're all knockouts. Oh, and the low-budget psychokinesis effects are rather charming as well, especially considering the sound design that accompanies them. Word of warning to those with a photosensitivity to strobing lights: you'd be wise to skip everything from the one hour fifteen minute mark up to the one hour seventeen minute mark. As someone with no such sensitivity, that scene really did bother my eyes and so I can only imagine what it could do to others.

And that's Patrick, an intelligently constructed film that follows in the tradition of other great films and directors, despite a premise that is pure low-budget, seventies drive-in shlock. Those looking for lots of blood and guts and relentless pacing ought to stay away, but those who desire something more atmospheric and with a bit of character will likely find Patrick to be a standout in the ocean of similar films of its vintage.