10 Creepy Horror Movies Set In A Hospital
3. Patrick (1978)
Patrick follows... Patrick, a catatonic young man that uses his powers of telekinesis to disrupt the life of a nurse he has taken a liking to.
What is it with horror movies set in hospitals just being so... strange? Patrick is the very definition of Ozploitation, a term that was used to blanket the large number of odd-ball thriller and horror pictures coming from Australia in the late 1970s.
Australia's answer to Hitchcock, Richard Franklin helms this bizarre tale and manages to keep a handle on a plot that at times is comedic. With lots of strobing light effects, an eerie ambient score and jarringly unsettling cinematography, Franklin gives a sense of class to a low-budget flick that is not particularly well written.
Australians are known for their often unique sense of humor, so perhaps some scenes are intended to elicit a giggle. For example, in one wonderfully bizarre scene, the catatonic Patrick attempts to impress his nurse by showing her he still has the ability to spit and get an erection... I kid you not.
It is thanks to Franklin's direction and dry wit that these scenes work, as they are played razor straight. With his ability to work around such an oddball script it is little wonder that Franklin would later helm Psycho II.