Best Horror Movie You Never Saw: Patrick (1978)

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Welcome to Arrow in the Head's The Best Horror Movie You Never Saw, which will be dedicated to highlighting horror films that, for one reason or another, don't get as much love as we think they should. We know plenty of you horror hounds out there will have seen many of the movies we pick, but there will be plenty of you who have not. This column is for all of you!

This week we're taking a gander at Richard Franklin's 1978 Australian chiller PATRICK (WATCH IT HERE – GET IT HERE)!

THE STORY: For three years, young Patrick has been in a coma at a medical clinic in Australia. Machines keep him alive, but he doesn't move, doesn't blink, doesn't speak. (Although once in a while he spits.) The clinic's new nurse Kathie takes an interest in Patrick, startled that no one else at the place seems to care much about him one way or the other. Unbeknownst to Kathie, Patrick has taken an interest in her as well, for Patrick isn't quite as comatose as everyone thinks. In fact, he's gifted with the power of psychokinesis – the ability to move things with your mind. Patrick's affection for Kathie will prove fatal for anyone whom he deems unworthy of her attention, and could spell a great deal of trouble for her too if she doesn't share his feelings.

THE HISTORY: This was the first collaboration for American screenwriter Everett de Roche and Aussie director Richard Franklin, who would work together again on ROAD GAMES and LINK. De Roche and Franklin met at a production company known as The Crawfords, which was famous for making Australian police procedurals. Despite having written many teleplays, de Roche wasn't very wise when it came to screenplay structure, and claims his original script for PATRICK was "a rambling 250 pages" before Franklin got a hold of it and trimmed it way down.

Interestingly, the biggest influence on the film – aside from Hitchcock's PSYCHO and REAR WINDOW – was birthed when Franklin described to de Roche a trip to the carnival with his family; he saw a show where a man in an ape suit jumped out at an audience and scared the hell out of them. This led to them deciding one of the last shots in the movie should be similar – a guy jumping up and freaking everyone out. (If you have seen the film, you know the moment; it's a terrific jump scare.) Once they agreed upon that, they worked backwards, building the world that would lead up to that point. The film was eventually produced by Antony Ginnane, who up until that point had mostly produced cheesy erotic exploitations flicks (Franklin had directed one of them).

Fun fact: The score for the film was provided by Brian May, who would go on to do MAD MAX and THE ROAD WARRIOR, but when European distributors got their hands on the flick, they hired legedary Italian rockers GOBLIN to record a whole new score (which can be listened to on YouTube). Furthermore, the U.S. release for the film was dubbed using the voices of American actors. 

WHY IT'S GREAT: As a big fan of Ozploitation flicks, my appreciation for PATRICK should not be questioned. It's a strange combination of eerie and cheeky, combining the filmmakers' obvious love of Alfred Hitchcock with a "down under" sense of humor. Not that the film doesn't take its subject matter seriously – Patrick is indeed a frightening villain, even though he almost never moves – but the film frequently has a spirited atmosphere that belies its darker intentions. Some of the credit is due to actress Susan Penhaligon, who plays Kathie not as a damsel in distress but as a strong-willed woman who won't be intimidated by any of the men around her (Patrick isn't the only guy circling for her attention). This character seems real – and far from boring, as evidenced in a scene where Kathie proves herself capable of being quite naughty when she… let's say… "feels out" Patrick's sense of touch.

I still cringe at some of the “campy-ness” of PATRICK, and the film seems much more dated than, say, LONG WEEKEND or ROADGAMES. – Everett de Roche, Spectacular Optical.CA

I'll forgive Everett for being a little critical of his own product, but I think PATRICK thoroughly holds up; and if its 70s-ness is often at the forefront, well, so be it! Something I also admire about the film is that it takes its time, involving us in the lives of the main protagonists. PATRICK may seem a tad longish at 112 minutes, but you get a full cinematic meal here, not a cheap, fast food quickie. You have to wait for the shock sequences, but when they come, they hit the mark, as when one of Patrick's least favorite nurses gets a sizzling send-off. And, for the record, Patrick manages to be one hell of a creepy fellow, while doing nothing more than staring straight ahead with those gigantic eyes of his.

BEST SCENE: The aforementioned parting jump scare is a real gem, maybe one of the best of its kind. Another sequence that is aces is when Patrick decides to help Kathie type out a letter, using crude language and mocking the misfortune of her ex-husband.

BUY IT: PATRICK is available on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Severin Films; for streaming purposes it's available on Fandor. A 2014 remake of the film titled PATRICK: EVIL AWAKENS (which isn't all that bad, to be honest) can be found on Amazon Prime.

PARTING SHOT: If you're unfamiliar with the Ozploitation subgenre in general, I would say remedy that now; so many insane movies came out of Australia in the 70s and 80s. (De Roche is responsible for writing some of the best ones.) PATRICK is absolutely a highlight of this special time period.