Set in the mid-aughts, the story deals with the coming-of-age issues delegated to a teenage boy. The initial plot is riveting. Halfway through a paranormal element is introduced that lands the film in the horror category.
Part Drama/Part Horror
Craig (Jaeden Martell) has been hired by the town’s richest man, billionaire John Harrigan (Donald Sutherland). Craig’s task is to come over and read literature to Harrigan whose advanced years are hindering his vision. Harrigan resides in a monstrous estate, complete with creepy servants, shadowy rooms, and dozens of ancient tomes. He tells Craig an ominous locked closet contains terrible secrets.
Craig is dealing with the recent death of his mother. His working-class father (Joe Tippett) is struggling to support them, and Mr. Harrigan becomes a surrogate figure in Craig’s life. That in itself would make for a fantastic story. But that’s not why we are watching in October.
Craig gifts Harrigan a smart phone (new at the time the story takes place) and teaches him how to use it. Harrigan balks initially, predicting the negatives of the device our society is straddled with in the present, though he quickly becomes enamored with it. When Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig places the phone in the casket to be buried with him. The absence of his friend leaves Craig with a void in his existence. A void that gets filled when he starts receiving cryptic communications from Harrigan’s grave.
Stellar leads
The two leads are outstanding in their performances. Jaeden Martell can handle horror. The young actor was one of the leads in “IT” and fluidly continues that style, albeit a toned-down version. Martell plays a typical teen well and has the chops to deliver emotions for scares and fears as needed.
The film also serves as the penultimate role for the great Donald Sutherland, who passed away this summer. Sutherland is outstanding as Mr. Harrigan. The character is a self-made billionaire, who doesn’t sugarcoat the cutthroat moves necessary to achieve that status. Lesser writing would limit the interactions between he and Craig to the standard tropes of a crusty old codger getting new life from an upstart teen. Here we get real insight into the depth of the man, and his organic fondness for Craig. Yes, he’s the richest man in (where else?) Maine, but he has heart.
Supporting roles not to be outdone
I also enjoyed the performance of Joe Tippett as Craig’s father. Usually, the dad dies and leaves the mom with the responsibilities of single parenthood. We get a reversal of sorts here and Tippett captures this emotion with his demeanor. He works hard to support the family and loves his son. There’s quiet resentment when Craig grows close to Mr. Harrigan—a billionaire who he can’t compete with. Tippett gives us insight into the struggles this situation would create.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste plays Ms. Hart, a teacher that connects with Craig. And it wouldn’t be a Stephen King story without an exaggerated bully. Enter Cyrus Arnold who fits this part perfectly as Kenny Yankovich.
I read a negative review from Ryan Leston (IGN) who panned the film for its lack of horror elements. Leston wrote “there are no jump scares, no dream sequences, no monsters, no gore, or anything remotely resembling a hefty-enough scare to warrant calling this a horror film.”
I think Mr. Leston doesn’t understand. Smart fans of the horror genre are oversaturated with cheap jump scares and gratuitous gore. We hate dream sequences and CGI. And we are in constant search for something different.
Using Horror as an Accomplice
The horror elements to “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” are subtle and may be too sparse for some. But when they do occur, they are highly impactful. A chilling bit involves the use of a Tammy Wynette song assigned as a ringtone. And illegible text messages Craig receives from the late Mr. Harrigan. Is it supernatural? Or is it a glitch with the phone. That remains to be seen.
The film clocks in at 1 hour and 46 minutes. There are no issues with pacing or time. No scenes are wasted, and the story is efficient. I didn’t love the score at times, but that’s often a complaint of mine.
“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” is a great movie that doesn’t rely on horror to tell its story. It uses horror as an accomplice. I left wanting more, which is the definition of good cinema. It made me want to read the King novella. The film is available to stream on Netflix.
