Rating of
3.5/4
At it again
chiggles - wrote on 05/31/08
I approached 1408 expecting tons of scares and very creepy stuff. Thats what I got. The film puts a different approach then modern day horror films, instead of spilling the screen with blood and gore, the director uses sounds and just eerie images of horror to terrify the audience. From the opening of the movie, I was deeply intrigued by the character of Mike Enslin, who is actually crazier then the hotel room he stays in. The theatrical version of this film runs 104 minutes, with the Unrated edition spanding 112 minutes. In the end, I was thrilled with all the craziness and just about every other aspect of it.
The film follows Mike Enslin (John Cusack). a haunted attraction specialist. He travels all over the world to test "haunted" areas. From graveyards to hotels, hes never discovered any real ghosts. Until he gets a card from The Dolphin Hotel in New York, reading Never Enter 1408. Interested, he does some research and eventually goes to the hotel. The manager, Olin (Samuel L. Jackson), tries to convince Mike to not enter the room. He fails. As Mike has one hour to try to survive the terrors of this room, he goes through things, the things of nightmares.
John Cusack (Identity), is purely excellent in this movie. Not only does the part have scary character aspects, but an emotional face to Mike. He plays excellent as the paranormal investigator, really nailing that part, but by the end, his character goes through extreme emotions and feelings. Wow, he did good. Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction), is the coolest dude in the valley. Even though his role is small, he nails it with perfection. Besides that, theres not really any big roles.
The visual style of the film was the big positive of it. Director Mikael Hafstrom, has this way with visually striking shots. There are many different color schemes which go along with the film. There are also plenty of extra little color and visual effects shots throughout the movie.
On the negative side of the film, the plot is really hard to follow. I found myself questioning many moments through the film.
Bottom Line: Terrifying! One of the best King adaptations ever.
