1408

Viewer Rating:Peter Boyle has rated 1408 rating: 1.5 Star

There aren't many actors around who can carry an entire film on their own. Fortunately, John Cusack is one of this rare breed. 1408 is a horror movie based on a short story by the prolific Stephen King.  Cusack plays cynical author Mike Enslin, who makes a living by writing trashy "haunted hotel" novels. He spends the night in each hotel and is never afraid because he doesn't believe in the supernatural. The reason for his world-weariness we find out later. Enslin soon hears about room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. 56 people have died in the room and nobody has lasted there for more than an hour. Despite repeated protestations from the Manager (Samuel L Jackson), Enslin checks in for the night. Big mistake.

This is an effective, creepy chiller from director Mikael Hafstrom (Derailed). One guy stuck in one room is not the easiest concept to develop but things are really kept interesting. The movie relies on psychological scares more than gore and is a refreshing antidote to the torture-porn likes of Hostel. The story is quite unpredictable, which is rare in a genre that has seen so many remakes and rehashes of late. Cusack gives a brave, worthy performance and one scene with his daughter in particular will just break your heart. The special effects are impressive and indeed the room itself becomes quite the character. Unfortunately the film does lose its way somewhat towards the end and is unsure how to wrap things up. Still 1408 is highly entertaining for the most part and well worth a watch. And Carpenters fans be warned - you'll never listen to "We've Only Just Begun" the same way again... 

Review published on the 11 September 2007 11:15