Mr. Harrigan’s Phone – Film Review

There’s always something interesting about Stephen King feature film adaptations, and there’s no exception when it comes to John Lee Hancock‘s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, which serves as a feature adaptation of King’s story of the same name that he wrote for his collection If It Bleeds.

The first act of this film is quite strong, setting up a genuinely mysterious story that will keep you on your toes. However, as the film goes on, it becomes painfully clear that this story was definitely not destined to be adapted to the big screen. Not only does it not have that much to even say in the first place, it’s just disappointingly boring and uneventful.

This film runs a little over an hour and a half, and yet the horror elements don’t really kick in until about thirty minutes or more into the story. Once you see where the story is going, it’s quite obvious where the plot is going to go. It’s hugely predictable and doesn’t manage to pack any huge twists or turns along the way.

That’s not to say that the entire thing is bad, because it’s certainly not. The atmosphere in this film is actually kind of incredible. Hancock’s direction here is bleak and unforgiving, and for this kind of story, it works perfectly. The cinematography by John Schwartzman further adds to the look.

It also features some excellent lead performances from Jaeden Martell and Donald Sutherland, who deliver nuanced and understated performances here. Martell definitely gets the juiciest role, portraying the lead kid Craig. He’s not your average kid, really. He is in some ways, but in others, he is quite fascinating. I can’t say much else without getting into spoilers.

The ending is also relatively strong even if it is by-the-book and predictable. It’s exactly the kind of ending this story needed. So really, at the end of the day, there is quite a lot to like about Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, but it’s also the kind of movie where you can’t help but feel as if it were lacking a bit of a punch. Better luck next time.

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is a bold and daring horror film featuring strong performances, but it sadly lacks bite and is disappointingly predictable and by-the-book.