Life is unpredictable, and sometimes it takes a wild turn where we end up meeting unexpected people on the way. Some people add much happiness and meaning to our lives which has been highlighted in the Netflix film “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”. The story revolves around the lives of two different generations, where Mr. John Harrigan is a very popular businessman, and Craig is a normal high school kid. Both of their lives are entangled by Craig’s ability to read well. Mr. Harrigan wanted Craig to work for him since he was losing his eyes and concentration. Things began to settle down for both of them as Craig started adapting to the changes around him. But one thing in particular that always attracted him around Mr. Harrigan’s house was his closet. Little Craig often looked for chances to barge into his closet to find out the hidden secret behind it. But Mr. Harrigan never really left his room; he was always seated in the center of his extravagant house with beautiful sightings around him. One day, Craig got closer to the closet, but before he could open it, Mr. Harrigan had arrived.
Well, that was the only part of his room that was disclosed to everyone who had stepped inside Mr. Harrigan’s house. While he was trying to open the closet door, Mr. Harrigan stopped him and asked him why he was interested in opening the door. Craig quickly apologizes for this, but Mr. Harrigan appears to be calm about the situation. Well, Craig’s mind was filled with several questions, and these ranged from the beginning of his life to the end of his career. Soon, Craig placed his doubt and asked him to clarify it, and Mr. Harrigan replied with a monotonous tone that the closet was filled with terrible secrets of his life. Maybe those secrets were from his past, and he never wanted to be reminded of any of them. After that day, Craig never came up with any doubts related to his closet since he respected Mr. Harrigan’s personal space.
Time passed, and Craig grew up to become a smart young man over the years. They spent maximum time with each other, and even though he had just read the books, Mr. Harrigan was able to provide him with insights on building a better future and life as well. As a businessman, Mr. Harrigan was quite successful, but he lacked an emotional conscience. It is understandable since he lived his life with loneliness and grief, and he had no offspring or a family member to carry forward his legacy. Mr. Harrigan wasn’t well-liked; people around the country hated him for his work tactics, and he had no connection to whatever family he had left. But Craig knew that behind all the confidence, Mr. Harrigan was completely alone, but he never grieved any of his actions. Well, Mr. Harrigan shared his career experiences, and even though he didn’t share the inside details, Craig knew that Mr. Harrigan was harsh with everyone who cheated him.
Moreover, he was very attached to Craig, and demanded to know the reason behind his visit every week. Craig responded that he loved their time together when they sat and talked with each other. Mr. Harrigan provided him with the feeling of strength and authority. Upon hearing this, Mr. Harrigan was overwhelmed, and soon, they became even more attached when it was Craig’s time to teach him new things. Craig got him the same smartphone that he used and taught him new functions related to the stock market, news articles, and social media. At first, Mr. Harrigan was hesitant about the smartphone, but its quirky functions attracted him. Craig and Harrigan enjoyed their time together, but things quickly turned upside down after Mr. Harrigan’s death. Even though Craig loved his father, Mr. Harrigan played a very important role in his life since he showed him the dynamics and aspects of his career as well as his life.
Moreover, he often supported him with his dreams and listened to everything that Craig had in his mind. He was extremely devastated by the loss of Mr. Harrigan, and on the day of his funeral, Craig decided to place his mobile phone in the casket. The next day, Mr. Harrigan responded to Craig’s messages and calls. Craig was shocked by this revelation and wanted his father to pull him out of his grave. But his father enlightened him with the fact that Mr. Harrigan had gone through an autopsy, and there was no way that he was alive. Upon hearing this, Craig was heartbroken to know that he used to suffer from heart disease. Even though he physically never saw him, Craig knew that Mr. Harrigan was around him all the time. Mr. Harrigan was trying to contact him, and two incidents proved his supernatural presence. Kenny Yankovich was Craig’s classmate, and on the first day of school, Kenny had bullied him and threatened to feed him shoe polish.
But Craig was saved by his teacher, Victoria Hart. A few days passed, and Kenny attacked him again and left Craig brutally injured. He decided to send a voicemail on Mr. Harrigan’s phone, and the next day, Kenny was found dead with his mouth filled with shoe polish. Another incident was the death of Victoria Hart. Craig was very close to her, and she would often guide him with his studies, but a man named Deane Whitmore struck her down with his car, and this accident ended up killing her. This time, Craig demanded his death over the voicemail, but he regretted his actions because he found them to be stupid. Meanwhile, whatever he thought was true as Deane choked himself to death with a soap bar crammed down his throat. Well, this soap had a distinctive smell, and it was used by Victoria, which made Craig terrified.
What Was Hidden In Mr. Harrigan’s Closet?
Eventually, Craig understood that he had to keep Mr. Harrigan away from the living world since it could be extremely problematic for him, and that day, Craig opened his closet and found his terrible secret. Well, this secret had Mr. Harrigan’s memories connected to his past. The closet was filled with photos of his family and childhood, and here, Craig figured out why Mr. Harrigan had chosen him to be a part of his daily life. Well, their lives were similar as both of them lost their mother at a young age, and they equally suffered from the pain of loneliness. The closet had toys, a camera, and different objects that were connected to the memories of his childhood. Maybe that was the reason why he stayed in touch even after dying.
Mr. Harrigan and Craig had similar childhood experiences, so he tried his best to protect him from the pain of loneliness. Well, Craig discarded the phone in the lake to put an end to their supernatural communication. This time, Craig knew that he was doing the right thing as he finally stepped out of his bubble to create his future. Since the movie is adapted from the popular novel by Stephen King, he managed to depict the mesmerizing angles of friendship, love, and attachment. Even though the movie had a supernatural take to it, it didn’t fail to provide a lesson that death doesn’t take a person from us. It’s a part of our lives, and we have to accept it the way it is.
See More: How Did Craig Cope Up With Mr Harrigan’s Death In The Film ‘Mr Harrigan’s Phone’?
