Differences between Netflix’s “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” and Stephen King’s book

On October 5, Netflix premiered “”, a horror and suspense film written by Stephen King and included in the “If It Bleeds” collection, one of the greatest works of the .

The film written and directed by John Lee Hancock has received good reviews in its first days of broadcast, mainly for in the role of a boy named Craig, who will see his peaceful life turn into hell due to unexplained events related to his deceased friend, the .

Like many works based on famous books, the production teams often take “creative license” to adapt some elements or to increase or eliminate elements, according to the narrative of the film or series.

Jaeden Martell as Craig in the movie “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” (Photo: Netflix)

THE DIFFERENCES IN “MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE”

In reality, the film is very faithful to the book, unlike other productions that were based on “the horror master”, but modifies minimal details, most of them in the end.

Deane Whitmore’s suicide

In the film, one of the closest people to Craig was the teacher Hart (Hargensen in the original novel), who comforts the young man after the mysterious death of Kenny Yankovich (Cyrus Arnold)a bully who lost his life in strange circumstances and that the film insinuates that he would have been killed by the late Mr. Harrigan.

poster of "Mr. Harrigan's phone" (Photo: Netflix)
Poster for “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” (Photo: Netflix)

The teacher hart dies in a tragic accident Deane Whitmore, a millionaire drunk driver who avoids going to prison and is only sent to a luxurious rehabilitation clinic, which upsets Craig, so he asks Harrington to finish off the murderer, who the next day “commits suicide”. This is the same in film and book, except for the detail of the soap brand.

In the book, Craig falls in love with his teacher and recognizes the perfume she uses, which he writes down in his notebook; while on the tape, it is Hart herself who reveals that she uses “Booth Bay” soap, the same one that appears in Whitmore’s throat when he ends his own life by taking hair gel and ingesting a bar of the same brand that he used the teacher.

Of course, the inclusion of a bar of soap was a license to make “the search for justice” even more dramatic in the face of a murderer who did not receive his punishment.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Ms. Hart in the film "Mr. Harrigan's phone" (Photo: Netflix)
Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Ms. Hart in the movie “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” (Photo: Netflix)

The reflection in Mr Harrigan’s grave

Another scene that undergoes a slight modification occurs in the cemetery, because while the book has a first-person narrator, who is Craig, who internally processes what is happening; on the tape it is seen that the young man begins a monologue in front of Mr. Harrigan’s grave and then in front of his mother’s.

Craig (Jaeden Martell) and Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) in "Mr. Harrigan's phone" (Photo: Netflix)
Craig (Jaeden Martell) and Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) in “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” (Photo: Netflix)

Craig’s mother

In Stephen King’s book it is mentioned that Craig is an orphan of a mother, something that is not addressed again until the attack of Kenny Yankovich (Cyrus Arnold), a bully who ruins the end of the course, because the young man regrets that she did not Be by your side at such a difficult time.

In the tape, however, the woman takes on more importance, as it is the reason why Mr. Harrigan befriends Craig, because he recognizes in him someone who lives something similar, since the old man also lost his mother. when he was young.

Joe Tippett as Craig's dad in the movie "Mr. Harrigan's phone" (Photo: Netflix)
Joe Tippett as Craig’s dad in the movie “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” (Photo: Netflix)

STEPHEN KING’S “MR. HARRIGAN’S TELEPHONE”

The original work of the “Master of terror” is included in the saga of works “If it bleeds” (“the blood sends” in Latin America and Spain), which was published on April 21, 2020 and is made up of four short works.

  • “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”: narrates the story of a deceased old man who “communicates by telephone”.
  • “The Life of Chuck”: chronicles Chuck’s life of fame and death from present to past.
  • “If It Bleeds”: Holly Gibney, a recurring character in King’s works, is a detective who identifies a being capable of feeding on people’s fear and trauma, so she seeks to stop him.
  • “rat”: pursues a writer who wants to complete his masterpiece, but something happens and he cannot finish, so he makes a pact with a rat, who offers to give him inspiration in exchange for the life of a loved one.
The series is based on the book "If it bleeds" by Stephen King (Photo: Imdb)
The series is based on the book “If it bleeds” by Stephen King (Photo: Imdb)

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Differences between Netflix’s “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” and Stephen King’s book