John Lee Hancock is the author and director of the 2022 American teen horror drama movie Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. It is based on Stephen King’s story of the same name from the anthology If It Bleeds. Donald Sutherland, Jaeden Martell, Joe Tippett, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste are the movie’s stars.
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Following the passing of his mother, young Craig is assigned to read to retired businessman John Harrigan three times a week. A youthful Craig and an old Harrigan have a friendship five years later.
Craig enrols in high school around this time and develops a bond with Ms. Hart, a teacher who defends him against Kenny Yankovich, a bully at the school when he tries to intimidate him. Craig buys Harrigan an iPhone after winning $3,000 from a lottery ticket that Harrigan gave him after getting his first iPhone for Christmas. He was first wary of modern technology, but now he loves his phone.
When Harrigan passes away, Craig is devastated to lose his friend. Craig places Harrigan’s phone in the coffin at the funeral. The companion of Harrigan then tells him that he received a gift from Harrigan’s will. To support his future academic endeavours and pursuit of a literary career, which he had previously disclosed to Harrigan, Craig will receive $800,000 in a trust fund.
Craig makes a thank-you call to Harrigan’s phone. He learns the following morning that Harrigan sent him a strange text message, but his father dismisses it as an iPhone bug.
After going to a dance with his crush, Craig is attacked by Kenny, who claims that Craig is to blame for getting Kenny expelled from school by revealing his drug-dealing activities on school property. Craig continues with his life. Later that evening, in a fit of annoyance and melancholy, Craig calls Harrigan and expresses his fear that “this won’t end, and I wish that you were here just to give me some advice.”
The following day, Kenny’s body is discovered; it appears that he fell from his bedroom window while attempting to sneak out. Because of what happened, Craig visits an Apple store, buys a newer phone, and puts his old one away.
After completing high school, Craig heads to Boston for college to begin his journalism studies. While he is there, his father informs him that Ms. Hart was killed in a drunk driver-related car accident, leaving her fiance hospitalised. Dean Whitmore, the driver, is sent to rehab rather than facing any charges with the collision.
Craig is furious with the outcome and goes back to his room to call Harrigan on an old phone, explicitly wishing Whitmore would die. Craig eventually finds out that Whitmore was discovered dead in his shower. He drives to the rehab facility and pays off one of the staff members there to reveal information about the suicide. Whitmore reportedly ingested shampoo and a piece of a broken soap bar, the man is informed. Craig is shocked to learn that the soap is the same one that Ms. Hart used and that a line from Tammy Wynette’s song “Stand by Your Man,” Harrigan’s ringtone, appears in Whitmore’s suicide note.
When Craig loses it, he goes back to his hometown. He then visits Harrigan’s grave and apologises for his messages after realising that Harrigan’s “secret closet”—which he had previously refused to let Craig into—was a shrine to his late mother. According to his theory, Harrigan pleads with Craig to let his spirit rest in peace and to move on in the present through his strange text messages.
Craig visits his mother’s grave after leaving Harrigan’s and breaks down sobbing as he begs for forgiveness. He then dashes to the town quarry, stands extremely close to the edge, looks out over the river, and throws his phone in. Craig quietly narrates that he wants his pockets to be empty when he dies and is buried. He says this as he walks away.
Hi! Saheli Banerji is a writer and novelist who has been featured on a variety of platforms for her distinct way of depicting real-life stories as well as the exotic and supernatural creatures of the earth. She likes to write poetry and sketch cartoons. You can contact her on LinkedIn. You can also follow her on https://xngrilaproductions.com