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Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Science Fiction > Telekinesis > Australia > Patrick: 35th Anniversary Edition (1978/Umbrella Region Free Import Blu-ray)

Patrick: 35th Anniversary Edition (1978/Umbrella Region Free Import Blu-ray)


Picture: B+ Sound: B Extras: B Film: B



PLEASE NOTE: The Patrick Region Free Import Blu-ray is only available from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment can be ordered from the link below.



The 1978 Australian cult film, Richard Franklin's Patrick, has made its way to Blu-ray and has never looked better. The sci-fi/horror/thriller focuses on a comatose hospital patient who uses his powers of telekinesis to kill and claim his private nurse as his own and uses his abilities to reshape events in her life. The film begins in a Hitchcockian fashion as Patrick (Robert Thompson) murders his Mother and her lover by throwing a radio in the bath tub that they are fornicating in. The use of point of view shots and nudity echo the opening sequence of John Carpenter's Halloween, some of Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974, see both on Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) and films of the Grindhouse era.


Traumatized by the incident, he is admitted into the hospital as comatose and becomes surrounded by a team of arrogant doctors and nurses. Though the unconscious Patrick finds compassion in a lonely Nurse (Susan Penhaligon) who notes his maltreatment and seeks to help understand him while being mentally battered by her fellow coworkers. Patrick tries communicating with her, while others in her life are being hurt and killed in mysterious ways. Most notable is Julia Blake's portrayal of the evil Matron Cassidy, the snappy by the book head Nurse that cuts down our main character at every turn and distinguishes Patrick as nothing more than a vegetable.


Her words are eaten when Patrick's powers heighten and he lashes out on the hospital doctors around him and some well choreographed kill scenes leading to a stunning climax that I won't spoil for you. This film in many ways reminds me of other films in the same era. As I mentioned earlier - John Carpenter's Halloween (use of point of view camerawork) Brian DePalma's Carrie (in terms of story structure) and of course, Hitchcock's Psycho (the villain as the sympathetic protagonist).


The 1080p digital High Definition resolution MPEG-4 AVC transfer is fully restored in 1:77:1 aspect ratio and still carries grain and scratches which adds to the experience. Its rare nowadays to see a film on Blu-ray with these flaws but personally I enjoyed it. The 2.0 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Mono lossless audio is crisp and clear. The score is also great by Goblin and Brian May that add a heightened level of suspense to the low budget action.


The Blu-ray set is loaded with some very cool extras including some very cool collectible postcards. Commentary tracks, vintage trailers and more also accompany this release from the previous DVD Umbrella issued (save a DVD-ROM PDF, which we covered) a few years ago. Now you can finally see the oft discussed film in the best possible way at home.



To order the Umbrella import Blu-ray of Patrick, go to this link for more information:


http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/



- James Lockhart


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