Mr. Wrong

In Gaylene Preston's theatrical debut, she adapted a short-story source said to have once had the attention of Alfred Hitchcock. It anticipates later supernatural thrillers like “Stir of Echoes” and “What Lies Beneath.” When MR. WRONG briefly circulated in the mid-1980s (under the export title “Dark of the Night”), critics noted its sympathetic heroine and feminist sensibilities going against the tide of misogynistic slasher flicks. Meg, a timid young lady working in the city and living alone, has the “luck” to buy a bargain-priced Jaguar, a snazzy car enabling her to visit mum and get around in style. But it has unexpected accessories, like the disembodied sounds of heavy breathing, the shocking news that the vehicle's previous owner came to an untimely end. Fueled by automotive urban legends, ghost stories and the isolation of the New Zealand roads at twilight, MR. WRONG takes Meg for the ride of her life.