Mr. Wrong (1985 film)

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Mr. Wrong
Directed by Gaylene Preston
Written byGaylene Preston
Geoff Murphy
Based on Elizabeth Jane Howard story
Produced byGaylene Preston
Robin Laing
StarringHeather Bolton
David Letch
Perry Piercy
CinematographyThomas Burstyn
Edited bySimon Reece
Music byJonathan Crayford
Production
company
Preston-Laing Productions
Release date
  • 1985 (1985)
Running time
88 minutes
Country New Zealand
LanguageEnglish

Mr. Wrong is a 1985 New Zealand horror film, directed by Gaylene Preston. [1] The film was based on an Elizabeth Jane Howard short story. [2] [3] It was released in the US as Dark of the Night. [4]

Contents

Synopsis

Meg moves to Wellington from a small town and buys a Jaguar car from a dealer. While driving to her parents' home for the weekend, she is troubled by supernatural phenomena, including strange sounds from the car and a dream of a woman walking in the rain. While in her home town, Meg reconnects with a former schoolmate, Wayne.

Driving back to the city in the rain, Meg offers a ride to a hitchhiker who seems to be the same woman from her dream. As the woman silently gets in the back seat she is immediately joined by an unnamed man who sits in the front passenger seat. His demeanour quickly makes Meg feel uncomfortable, and while driving to a nearby service station she realises the woman has disappeared. When the man denies there was a woman in the back seat, Meg insists he get out of the car, and he exits angrily, seemingly vanishing. Meg begins to question her own sanity.

Meg works at an antique store, and while wrapping items in old newspapers she discovers an article about a Mary Carmichael, whose photograph Meg recognises as the female hitchhiker. Mary went missing years ago, and although blood was discovered in her car, her body was never found. Meg is dismayed to find that her Jaguar's logbook indicates that Mary was its previous owner, and immediately puts the vehicle up for sale. However, she is unable to dispose of the car because of its ghostly behaviour: one caller's dog takes fright at the Jaguar, and the car refuses to unlock for another prospective buyer. Meanwhile, Meg begins to notice the male hitchhiker stalking her around town, but no one else is able to confirm her sightings.

One evening, Meg is home alone after her flatmate has gone to a party. Bruce, a lecherous ex-boyfriend of her flatmate, unexpectedly shows up and attempts to force himself on Meg, but Wayne arrives and helps her send Bruce away. Meg declines Wayne's offer to stay the night, and he departs. Later that night Meg hears a strange noise and goes to investigate. The stalker has broken into her flat and waits with a knife to attack her. The car's horn suddenly sounds and Meg hurries outside to check it. The horn stops of its own accord, and Meg finds herself locked out of the house by the stalker. She decides to drive to Wayne's home, but is followed by a man driving a green car. She manages to elude the driver by speeding across a railway line in front of an oncoming train. It is then revealed that the other driver was the well-intentioned Wayne, while the stalker – who previously murdered Mary – is hiding in Meg's back seat. The killer tries to strangle Meg, but she burns him with the dashboard's cigarette lighter and flees the car on foot. Mary's ghost then takes control, locking her killer inside the car and driving the car off a bend where it catches fire, killing the man. Mary's ghost smiles at Meg before walking away and disappearing.

Cast

Production

It was the first film made by Preston-Laing Productions (Gaylene Preston and Robin Laing). [5] [6] Howard's original short story featured a grim conclusion with the protagonist murdered in her car by the killer; the film changed this for a more upbeat ending where justice is served. [7]

Reception

The film received positive reviews from New Zealand critics, [8] with The Press calling it "an assured, gripping thriller". [9] Overseas reviews were more mixed; the New York Times described it as "a mild effort" that "isn't quite sure whether it wants to be a chiller or a comedy." [4] The Los Angeles Times said the film "may be vulnerable to the charge of silliness from time to time, but it leaves us wanting to see Preston's next film." [10]

Film historians have compared Mr. Wrong to Melanie Rodriga's Trial Run (1984), an earlier New Zealand thriller with feminist themes. [11] [12] [13]

Awards

Best Female Performance in a Leading Role - Film: Heather Bolton

Nominated for Best Film Score: Jonathan Crayford [14]

Most Popular Film. [14]

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Helen; Edwards, Sam (1997). New Zealand film, 1912-1996. Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-558336-1 . Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Mr. Wrong". British Film Institute. 1990. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Howard, Elizabeth Jane (1 May 1984). Mr Wrong. Penguin (Non-Classics). ISBN   9780140046441. OL   9301167M . Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 Goodman, Walter (2 May 1986). "'Dark,' Blue Jaguar with a Ghost". The New York Times .
  5. ↑ "Gaylene Preston". (issuu pp. 61,64). No. 97–98. Cinema Papers New Zealand supplement. April 1994. pp. 15, 18. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Vieth, Albert; Moran, Errol (2009). The A to Z of Australian and New Zealand cinema. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0810863477.
  7. ↑ Horrocks, Roger (1989). "On Film II". Auckland: Heinemann. p. 12.
  8. ↑ "'Mr Wrong' doing all right". The Press . Christchurch, NZ. 10 March 1986 – via PapersPast.
  9. ↑ Irvine, Bob (10 March 1986). "'Mr Wrong' gets it right". The Press . Christchurch, NZ – via PapersPast.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (23 July 1986). "'Dark of Night': A Woman vs. a Car". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 23 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Reid, Nicholas (1987). A Decade of New Zealand Film. John Mcindoe Ltd. ISBN   9780868680873.
  12. ↑ Babington, Bruce (2007). A History of the New Zealand Fiction Feature Film . Manchester University Press. pp. 172–174. ISBN   9780719075421.
  13. ↑ Schneider, Steven Jay; Williams, Tony (2005). Horror International. Wayne State University Press. p. 115. ISBN   978-0-8143-3101-9.
  14. 1 2 "Mr Wrong". NZ On Screen . New Zealand Film Commission . Retrieved 28 January 2023.
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