REVIEW: 1408

(above) Mike Enslin (John Cusack) begins to understand the gravity of his situation when he notices the wall starting to bleed

"1408" just another haunted house flick
Another ghost story brought to you by Stephen King

Rating: C+

It began on a dark and stormy night. That seems to be the appropriate introduction to any horror story and 1408 is no different. It is here that we meet our jaded hero with a haunted past, Michael Enslin (John Cusack). Once, an up and coming author with a decent first novel, he decides to quit writing literature and for reasons that are never fully explained he now writes books in which he debunks myths of haunted houses. Enslin stays in room after room of which is claimed to be the playground of ghosts, spirits, and other such things that go bump in the night. Yet after each evening spent in these “haunted” houses and having looked for any evidence of the paranormal, Enslin wakes up the next morning with an undisturbed nights sleep and one more chapter in his latest book. As far as Enslin is concerned the only place to see a real ghost is at the “Haunted Mansion” in Orlando, Florida. Until one day he receives an anonymous post-card from the Dolphin Hotel in New York with a simple cryptic phrase “Do not enter 1408.” Like any good moviegoer we’re not surprised when he pays no heed to the warning and decides to enter the room anyway. A room in which 58 people have died and no one lasts more than an hour. It then comes as no surprise when 15 minutes into his stay he begins to regret his prideful arrogance. The rest of the film chronicles Enslins’ story of survival as he tries to get out of the room alive, while still hanging on to his sanity.

The set up and overall mood of the film in great, as is the dialogue between John Cusack and Samuel Jackson, (the devoted hotel manager driven to keep anyone from entering the “evil” room). The cinematography, some interesting camera work and special effects helps to create a brooding creepy atmosphere. There are also some rather humorous moments, expertly executed by Cusack, which helps to bring a sense of levity to the horror. But like any horror film, plot is usually sacrificed for scares and 1408 is no different. The film is able to deliver a handful of excellent scares but leaves a series of plot holes, happy convenient coincidences, and a list of un-answered questions in its wake. The third act is weak and seems too unbelievable and cliché and in the end we are left a little disappointed that there was such good build-up but so few good payoffs.

Most of the characters are mostly two dimensional as they are simply written in as a means to get Cusack’s character into the fated room, which itself serves is a character. John Cusack, who was big in the 80’s and early 90’s and now only seems to show up on the film radar every once in a while, hasn’t lost a step. He’s enjoyable to watch and well cast as the troubled cynic. He seems like he truly wants to encounter something paranormal while at the same time skeptical of it.

Sam Jackson, who seems to be the only actor capable of career suicide (see: Snakes on a Plane), is also enjoyable to watch as he nearly pleads with Cusack not to enter the room, in a very Sam Jackson way (minus the yelling).

The room is also given a personality as it seems as if it really does have a mind of its own. The rooms seems to purposely toy with its victims for its own pleasure, and wants to make their stay as unpleasant as possible. In the end you are never really sure why the room is the way it is but one thing is for certain, I’m never staying at a hotel again.