Mr. Harrigan’s Phone Trailer

Smart phones have changed our way of life. We pretty much run our lives with our phones today. We check our email, watch movies, take pictures and connect with people by text and social media. Now imagine being able to communicate with those beyond the grave.

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is the latest Stephen King adaptation. It is from his novella collection If It Bleeds. In the movie, a young boy named Craig (Jaeden Martell, It) befriends a reclusive billionaire, Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland). They bond over books and reading. Craig does odd jobs for Mr. Harrigan and gets advice on how to deal with a bully at school. The boy gifts the old man an iPhone and teaches him how to use it. Mr. Harrigan saves himself on the phone as “pirateking.”

Tragically, Mr. Harrigan passes away. After being attached by a bully, Craig leaves a message on his friend’s phone wishing bullies would get what they deserved. He is startled to find out that his friend calls back. This sets off a chain of events. As the calls from “pirateking” come in, people around him start to end up dead.

What does it mean to be a friend? And how far will you go for a friend even after you die? Will you take down their enemies? I think it’s about friendship and technology. And in some ways, the iPhone’s the original sin.

– John Lee Hancock (Writer & Director)

Looking at the Mr. Harrigan’s Phone trailer, the movie may not be the horror story you’d expect. But the director promises there will be some good scares. With Blumhouse Productions as one of the producers, we would imagine so. Under their belt are movies such as Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Halloween and Happy Death Day.

Rounding out the cast is Cyrus Arnold (Zoolander 2), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Killing Eve, The Sandman), Colin O’Brien (Wonka), and Joe Tippett (Mare of Easttown). Expect a call from Mr. Harrigan’s Phone on October 5, 2022 on Netflix. And if you are wondering, yes, Stephen King did give his stamp of approval.