Cruel. Controlling. Comatose. A remake of Richard Franklin’s seminal ozploitation favourite, Patrick is a visually assured feature film debut for director Mark Hartley, who previously examined the ozploitation sub-genre with his exceptional documentary Not Quite Hollywood. As with Franklin’s original, the film follows a new nurse coming to work at the Roget clinic, now located in an isolated outback town, to look after a group of comatose patients, including the title character who certainly doesn't seem to be all that clueless once a pretty new nurse shows up. Presented as both an earnest homage to the original and a sweet love letter to the latter-era Hammer films, the movie features evil doctors, mysterious murders, insidious weirdoes around every corner and enough telekinetic carnage to fill two Carrie remakes. Come and say G'day and we’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you.
