Digital Dismemberment: Patrick: Evil Awakens Movie Review

Digital Dismemberment: Patrick: Evil Awakens Movie Review

Director– Mike Hartley

Producer– Antony I. Ginnane, Jeff Harrison, Phil Hunt, Heather MacFarlane and Compton Ross

Special FX– Chad Atkinson, Vaso Babic, Polly McKay, Megan Tiltman and Larry Van Duynhoven

Cast– Charles Dance, Rachel Griffiths, Sharni Vinson, Peta Sergeant, Damon Gameau, Martin Crewes, Eliza Taylor, Simone Buchanan, Shane Nagle, Chris Fortuna, Rod Mullinar, Maria Mercedes, Camilla Jackson, Brendan Bacon, Carole-Ann Aylett and Jackson Gallagher

Released By– Phase 4 Films

Release Date– 03/14/2014

The Premise: When a young nurse begins work at an isolated psychiatric ward, she quickly becomes fascinated with Patrick, a brain dead patient who is the subject of a mad scientist’s cruel and unusual experiments. What starts as an innocent fascination quickly takes a sinister turn as Patrick begins to use his psychic powers to manipulate her every move, and send her life into a terrifying spiral out of control.

Remakes in general typically tend to take a film beloved by a core group of hardcore fans and turns it into half assed parody of itself, but Patrick: Evil Awakens is one of the rare remakes that not only hits every mark set in the original (Patrick [1978, Dir: Richard Franklin]), but surpasses them in many ways. The original Patrick is a cult classic from Australia and did well in international markets upon its initial release, but it seemed to have faded from the genre consciousness over the years. Hartley’s brilliant retelling brings the original out of the dark and exposes it to a whole new generation of genre fans, but how well do they hold up to one another? Both films do a terrific job of showing a brilliantly deranged doctor trying to awaken a young man who is comatose after experiencing two tragic events in his youth, even though the methods are barbaric and extreme in every way. Brain trauma is still a mystery to us in many ways, even with all of the advances in medical technology. By the time we get to the conclusion of the film and find out all of the characters dirty little secrets, we are left to wonder who the real monster is and if “the ends justify the means” when a monster is left to his own devices…

The film opens with a nurse entering a dark room and snapping pictures with her cell phone, the flash exposing what appears to be a examination room with in it. As she continues to take pictures, her last one is of a hand swinging downward with a needle in it. It pierces her eye as she screams in agony before the plunger is pressed down and she slumps to the floor, dead. We then see Dr. Roget (Charles Dance) in a meeting where he is told that he will need to show results to the investors of his research. Saying he will have results soon, he heads back to his clinic to continue his work. Kathy Jacquard (Sharni Vinson) shows up at the clinic and has an interview with Matron Cassidy (Rachel Griffiths) for a nursing position, and after an awkward interview process, gets the job. She meets fellow nurse Nurse Williams (Peta Sergeant) and they become friends. Kathy later meets Dr. Roget and his prize patient in room 15, Patrick. Kathy is struck with the almost perfect physical condition of the patient, but as she leans over him, he spits in her face. Roget explains to her that the spitting is an involuntary muscle reaction and for her to not take it personally. He also explains to her that his methods are extreme and to do exactly what he tells her…

Kathy starts to get into the routine of what goes on at the clinic, but she is struck more and more by the seemingly barbaric and bizarre methods that Dr. Roget uses to try and revive Patrick, including extreme electro-shock therapy. After a really rough day, we see Kathy at home and find out that she has left her husband due to her own insecurities. Williams shows up and they go out for drinks where she introduces Kathy to Dr. Brian Wright (Martin Crewes), a psychiatrist and a radio show host. There appears to be a spark between the two. Back at work, Kathy finds that she can communicate with Patrick, but when she informs Matron Cassidy and Dr. Roget, she is rebuffed and told not to communicate with the patient in any way. She continues to voice her displeasure with how Patrick is treated, but nothing changes. Suddenly, Ed (Damon Gameau) (Kathy’s estranged husband) shows up and demands to talk to Kathy one night while Brian is visiting. After a tense moment, Ed leaves and Kathy asks Brian to leave as well. Suddenly, we see Brian’s hand shaking and the wine glass he is holding explodes in hands. As Brian and Kathy looked shocked at what happened, we cut to Patrick, his eyes bloodshot from exerting his will from far away…

More and more bizarre things begin to happen around Kathy and the clinic. She talks to Patrick daily and he soon begins to communicate with her by telepathically typing his responses on a computer in his room. He will not explain why he will not let any others know about his condition, only to say that it is a secret and that Dr. Roget is helping him with the process. Confused, Kathy talks with Ed and they begin to try to reconcile their relationship, but Patrick will have none of it. While Kathy is visiting Ed, Patrick takes control of him mentally and forces him to place his hands on two stove burners, severely injuring him. Between Ed’s injury and the treatment that Patrick continues to receive from Dr. Roget, Kathy contacts Brian to help her get the clinic and Roget shut down. As Brian speeds to pick her up from the clinic, Patrick takes control of his car and drives it over a cliff. With her friends dwindling and with nowhere else to turn, Kathy finds out how dangerous and deadly Patrick has become and confronts him when Ed is taking hostage. What role does Roget and Matron Cassidy play in Patrick’s plans, can Kathy save Ed from Patrick’s wrath and will anyone survive? You are going to have to watch to find out…

Director Mike Hartley not only masterfully re-creates the mood and atmosphere that was presented in the original, but he finds a way to ratchet up the isolation and suspense even further. The location used for the Roget Clinic is spot on to the original, and Hartley manages to find a way of presenting it in a very Argento-like style (think Susperia and Deep Red) that almost makes you dizzy with nostalgia. The music and score for the film do an amazing job of helping to convey the oppressive atmosphere of the Roget Clinic as well. There is certainly more gore than in the original, but it is not used to an excess in any way. Most of the FX work is practical with small dashes of CGI used when appropriate. The acting is spot on and more than believable, hitting emotional notes that help to make you care about what happens the characters. This film should be the blueprint to any film maker that wants to take on the staggering task of remaking a beloved cult classic of the genre, and I for one can not wait to see where Mike Hartley goes from here as a director. I am looking forward to getting this on Blu-Ray or DVD to see what amazing features Phase 4 Films has put together to complete this masterful remake!