The cynical and skeptical writer Mike Enslin writes books evaluating supernatural phenomena in hotels, graveyards and other haunted places, usually debunking the mystery. While writing his last book, he travels from Los Angeles to New York to spend one night in the evil room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, which is permanently unavailable for guests. The reluctant manager Mr. Gerald Olin objects to his request and offers an upgrade, expensive booze and finally the reports relating the death of more than fifty guests along decades in the cursed room. However, Mike threatens Mr. Oiln, promising to sue the hotel, and finally checks in the room. Along the night, he finds that guests of room 1408 can check out when they like, but they can never leave the room alive.
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Runtime: 104 minutes
Rating: 6.9/10 (63,278 votes)
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Dimension Films
Sound: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language.
Director(s): Mikael Håfström
Producer(s):
Kelly Dennis – associate producer
Lorenzo di Bonaventura – producer
Antonia Kalmacoff – associate producer
Jake Myers – executive producer
Richard Saperstein – executive producer
Jeremy Steckler – associate producer
Bob Weinstein – executive producer
Harvey Weinstein – executive producer
Writer(s):
Matt Greenberg – (screenplay) and
Scott Alexander – (screenplay) &
Larry Karaszewski – (screenplay)
Stephen King – (short story)
Cast:
John Cusack – Mike Enslin
Samuel L. Jackson – Gerald Olin
Mary McCormack – Lily
Tony Shalhoub – Sam Farrell
Len Cariou – Mike's Father
Isiah Whitlock Jr. – Hotel Engineer
Jasmine Jessica Anthony – Katie
Paul Birchard – Mr. Innkeeper
Margot Leicester – Mrs. Innkeeper
Walter Lewis – Book Store Cashier
Music: Gabriel Yared
Tagline: Based on the terrifying story by Stephen King
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At a time that sees cinemas inundated with slasher movies, along comesa pleasant surprise like 1408. It hearkens back to the good oldpsychological horror flicks of the 70s and 80s. Something we don't seemuch of nowadays. Ones where normal people wind up in circumstancesbeyond their control. Its not much of a surprise then that the film isbased upon a short story by Stephen King.
I haven't read the story, but I have a feeling I'd enjoy it if the filmis anything to go by. Although Stephen King is a fine writer, one ofhis greatest faults is he tends to fall into too much of aself-indulgence. Some books, like Insomnia could easily have beentrimmed down without losing anything important. But King doesn't alwaysknow when to call it a day. He has to include minor characters thatslow down the narrative. It was something that particularly crippledInsomnia. That book was more of a chore than a pleasure to get through.
King's best work is when he reduces stories to a bare minimum, andallows the ideas to grow out from there. Books like Misery, Cujo, TheShining. All books that are a strong influence on 1408. The idea behindit is simple. A sceptical writer, Mike Enslin checks into a so-calledhaunted hotel room. He's made a career out of debunking ghost storiesand folk tales, and he doesn't expect 1408 to be any different.
Except this one is haunted. No one has ever managed to survive a nightin 1408. In fact they don't usually last more than an hour. 56 peoplehave died within its walls. And the room arrays all sorts of horrors,physical and psychological, driving Mike to more desperate methods toescape, before it kills him.
Its the sheer simplicity at the heart of it that makes 1408 such awonderful horror film. Certainly one of the best I've seen in sometime. Watching different ideas take shape to propel the story, itssomething you'd imagine Vincenzo Natali dreaming up if he decided tomake horror films and not science-fiction. 1408 is a wonderful displayof misdirections and jarring reversals. Especially during the initialscenes.
Mike hears nothing but tales of woe and misery about 1408 from thehotel manager (rather effectively played by Samuel L. Jackson). Mikedoesn't believe it. Jackson becomes more insistent. Mike becomes moresceptical. And we the audience are that all the more curious to see theblood-curdling horrors of 1408. When we finally get there, we're halfexpecting to see blood bleeding down the walls or objects flying aboutthe room. Except its the exact opposite. Its just an ordinary hotelroom. Sterile. Bland wallpaper. The epitome of mundane normalcy. Butits just a facade. To lull you in. That's the trap of 1408.
Director Mikael Hafstrom's handling of the initial scenes is reallyquite masterful. He almost pulls an age old magicians trick on us.Making us want to see magic before it actually comes. As soon as Mikeenters the room, although it looks normal, we keep waiting for the shoeto drop. It makes the tension more edgier. And when the room finallydelivers its shocks, they really pack a punch. Bravo to Hafstrom forwaiting so long and not rushing into the action. A pitfall a lesserdirector could easily have fallen into.
Hafstrom allows the horrors to build with a real smooth assurance.First its just little things. Like clock radios suddenly switching on.Windows slamming down. A malfunctioning thermostat. All things that canhappen in real life. Nothing to signify anything supernatural. But thenthings get worse. When Mike tries to escape via window ledge, it justleads to nowhere. The air ducts are a rat maze of never-ending shaftsand dead-ends. It eventually gets so bad its as if the room itself hastaken on a life of its own.
When Mike tries to call his wife through his laptop, an image of Mikestarts talking to her, trying to convince her to come to the hotel, andentrap her in the room too. It even winks at the real Mike! One thingthat surprises about 1408 is its sense of humour. Parts of the film arereally blackly funny. The laptop scene. The different ways the roomfrustrates Mike's attempts to escape. Best of all is the clock radio.Not only does it give Mike constant reminders of how long he has tolive, it plays (cheerfully) at various times the song from TheCarpenters "We've only just begun." Like some morbid version ofGroundhog Day!
The film's script runs us through a rigorous gamut of emotions. Fromcuriosity, to discovery to outright horror. And John Cusack handlesthem all superbly. He's a good choice for the part of Mike. The wryirony he's mastered to perfection over the years is well suited to aseen it all before sceptic who gets in way over his head. He does agreat job of carrying a whole film on his shoulders.
People have been quick to call 1408 a ripoff of The Shining. I don'tagree. If anything, the film reminds me of the Coen classic BartonFink. Since its more a case of a creepy hotel room rather than a hotel.And John Cusack does a far better job of playing a man driven to theedge by ghosts of the past than Jack Nicholson's irritatingperformance. The film ends on a few surprises. Perhaps too many. But Iwas kept guessing about the outcome right up until the very end.
Mikael Hafstrom seemed a little unsure of himself in his prior film,Derailed. A frustrating film that never saw the brilliance in its ownmaterial, but with 1408, he's come into his own and handles things likea pro. A rare horror film of ideas in a bankrupt genre.
Wow. The first thing I must say is that I haven't been this much on theedge of my seat since I saw High Tension years ago. However the secondthing I must say is I left the movie with a sense of dissatisfaction.The reason? The last quarter of the film.
From the time the spooky stuff started happening in this film I wantedit to reach the conclusion. Not because I wasn't enjoying it, butbecause I wanted to see how they were going to go about ending it. Notmany movies leave themselves this many different roads to go down.Perhaps they had too many options because I feel they chose the wrongone. That being said it could've been worse also.
John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a writer who receives a hint about themysterious room 1408 in the Dolphin hotel in New York. He plays himadequately, but never really makes you say "wow" about him. Samuel L.Jackson plays the hotel manager who heeds the warnings and does so verywell indeed. He really sets the scene well for this supposedlyterrifying room and has us unnerved before we've even seen what it'scapable of for ourselves.
What makes the film so unsettling from here on out is the combinationof well executed frights and the unknowing of what is going on due tothe earlier mentioned many avenues the story could go down. Credit heremust go to director Mikael Håfström and of course the master ofstorytelling Stephen King.
1408 mixes elements of terrifying horror, intriguing thrills and even afew touches of drama and the result is a very solid, entertaining film.All involved deserve much praise. A few have been put off seeing it inthe first place by the seemingly unoriginal story of a haunted venue.This is a shame because rarely is the concept done this well and thosepeople are really missing a treat.
Well then… You're looking to watch a nice scary horror flick. You,like me, don't have that many opportunities so you have to pick emwell. Let me tell you, if you are planning to watch 1408, then you havemade a good choice. This is not a pleasant experience at all. And ifyou have children, you probably (hopefully, since unpleasantness iswhat we're looking for here, right?) will find this film even moredisturbing. Highly recommended. Highly scary. A disturbing movie thatwill make you feel bad in a good way. Mr Hafstrom is a fellowcountryman of mine which makes me proud, us Swedes obviously know howto make a scary movie.
The first 30 minutes or so of this film were actually quitecaptivating. The story built itself up very well. The anticipation ofwanting to finally see what this room was all about was great.
Then, he finally gets in the room and at that point the film kind ofgoes bland. Too many loose ends, too many unanswered questions, toomany unanswered back stories that were presented.
My main continuity issue with this movie is that it was said before heentered the room that electronics tend to not work inside 1408. But,his cellphone worked, his laptop worked-with full internetcapabilities, the television worked, all the lights within the roomworked, etc.
I'm also confused as too why the "ghosts" if you will, were electroniclooking and would fizzle out, as if it were done with a projector ofsorts.
I don't know what too think. Too many ideas were thrown around with noattempt at answering them.
I suppose if you enjoy a movie with a limited "boo" factor, which hasno substance or attempt at creating a back story, then this is themovie for you.
Watching this was too much effort with not enough reward.