Patrick: Evil Awakens is an Australian remake of a 1978 Australian horror film called Patrick. I know that I saw the original, but I recall little about it. I wish that I could say the same about this movie, which I unfortunately remember too well for its proliferation of jump scares and an obnoxious, insistent musical score. After one hour and eleven minutes, I wanted it to be over, but it had twenty minutes left thus suffering from the ninety-minute curse.
Patrick: Evil Awakens is a Gothic horror mash up of the evil scientist and an all too human, scientifically feasible poltergeist with a dash of Coma. A new nurse figures out that Patrick is more aware and in control of his surroundings than his comatose appearance seems, but her suspicions are disregarded until it is too late. The nurse is the final girl to face off against the hospital’s corruption and the evil titular character. Side note to evil scientists: don’t experiment on the psychos and murderers. If your experiment gets powers, your experiment will kill you.
Patrick: Evil Awakens cast is talented. Charles Dance, everyone’s favorite intimidating father and authority figure, plays the unethical doctor. I am not familiar with Sharni Wilson’s work, but if you can have a verbal confrontation with Dance without blinking, being intimidated or backing down, you deserve some kudos. Rachel Griffiths is suitably spooky as the resident Nurse Ratched and the doctor’s daughter. Eliza Taylor from The 100 makes two all too brief appearances, and I’m sure that the filmmakers are kicking themselves for under utilizing her.
Patrick: Evil Awakens is a dreadful movie that ultimately fails to frighten and drops tantalizing story lines that go nowhere. What is with the whole father daughter dynamic? Is she evil and/or being manipulated? When weird things happen, the characters never discuss it. If even a minor earthquake occurs, people talk about it. The movie is supposed to be set in the present day, but it consciously uses a dated aesthetic for no reason. Like many horror films, the ultimate goal is to reunite an estranged couple against an external threat. The new nurse must choose her man. Yawn! Skip Patrick: Evil Awakens or check out the original to at least get a sense of authentic Australian horror.