Netflix and Blumhouse reunite to producer their first Stephen King adaptation, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. The film features some interesting ideas and nostalgia but lacks the creative storytelling and engagement to make it remotely memorable.
Based on King’s novella of the same name from his 2020 collection, If It Bleeds, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone follows Craig (Jaeden Martell), a high schooler who maintains a strong bond with a wealthy old man named Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland). Craig visits him, reads books to him, and talks with him about their meaning. However, after Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig struggles to deal with the loss. Craigh calls the cell phone he gave Mr. Harrigan that was buried with him and this ends up having more sinister consequences.
Unlike King adaptations like It or Christine that give audiences some kind of intriguing entity to be haunted by or some big scare sequences, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone has more of a slow-burn approach that touches on thematic and psychological horrors. For the first act or so, the film has interesting aspects in how detailed its narration is and the unique bit of nostalgia its high school setting provides. The film does overuse narration for storytelling early on however Martell’s performance as well as the vivid details the narration provides of the town, of Craig’s life, and his relationship with Mr. Harrigan makes the narration a little more engaging. The details in the narration immerse into Craig’s mindset and a better sense of why this bond between Craig and Mr. Harrigan matters.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone has a unique social setting. It delves into how the high school social hierarchy changed with the introduction of smartphones. As someone who went throughout this same thing in middle school and high school, there’s something incredibly nostalgic about seeing the iPhone and other smartphones play a pivotal role in changing the dynamics of high school. It’s a unique kind of nostalgic setting that fits well with Craig’s coming of age arc and adds a new layer to his relationship with Mr. Harrigan as he buys him a smartphone and teaches him how to use it. There’s actually some good story to get wrapped up in within the first act, but once Mr. Harrigan passes on and the film attempts to shift into horror, it never recovers.
The performances from Martell and Sutherland are consistently engaging throughout, but with the film’s approach of thematic scares over virtually anything happening on-screen, there’s really nothing to keep your attention. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is basically a film with zero memorable scares or memorable horror sequences making for an incredibly boring watch. None of the kills even happen on-screen and it really feels like the film lacks a pulse or any sort of connective energy. John Lee Hancock’s writing and direction generally feels lifeless and dull because of how little creativity there is in making this story feel unique outside of a generic “be careful what you wish for” story, and the themes are totally unsatisfying.
With each scene surrounding a new book that Craig is reading Mr. Harrigan or their discussions about smartphones and how technology affects social living, it feels like the film is trying to stick in some food for thought. However, these little morsels of knowledge rarely have any real sustenance to make them leave an impact and the film’s themes start to fade quickly. With its thematic elements generally falling flat, there’s literally nothing to make Mr. Harrigan’s Phone engaging by the end and you find yourself struggling to find the desire to keep watching.
Outside of a solid first act and two engaging lead performances from Martell and Sutherland, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is exactly what genre fans don’t want in a King adaptation or a horror movie in general. Its lack of strong scares and bland horror story make it a total bore to watch and completely lacks satisfaction because of how much of it feels subdued thematically making it never reach its potential. When it comes to the legacy of cinematic King adaptations, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone will barely ring a bell.
