“1408”

Even though the majority of Stephen King novels turned film have not been so great, I had some high hopes for this one. Now, I’d never read the story, but I’m sure this does a pretty good job of following it. I mean, it was entertaining and suspenseful (just like a good King novel).

The story follows a man (a writer) whose family has fallen apart after the death of a child. He becomes embittered and his writings show his drastic change. His books go from heart-felt family portraits to jaded ghost and myth-busting collections. For his latest “chapter” he will travel to the Dolphin Hotel in New York to stay in a fabled room (1408). Determined to bust the myth and move on to the next would-be haunted area, he keeps pushing forward. Eventually he is taken to this room 1408 on a hidden 13th floor of the building. But not everything is as it seems in this “evil” room. Will he survive the night? Or even an hour?

If we look deeper into the story we see a man taking a journey into his own mind. He faces his own hell and confronts that which he has been too shattered to acknowledge. But is this really a story all inside a man’s head as he drives himself to insanity? Or is it all real?

Sam Jackson gives one of his strongest performances here…though he’s only on screen for about five or ten minutes. John Cusack also gives a pretty good performance, but when does he not? The set is mostly just one room. The costumes are mostly only for Cusack and he wears the same suit through almost the entire movie. There are a few plot holes such as the hotel manager saying electronics don’t work but Enslin can still turn on the lights, use the A/C and use his tape recorder. But it has become my impression that all of this was either the room itself allowing it or he only saw it in his mind. Anyways most of the small mistakes like this are barely noticeable. The score is pretty intense and adds a lot to the effects of the movie. The specials effects are pretty cool. The movie for the most part does not use cheap scare tactics. It uses the bizarre, creepy, weird, and just plain freaky to affect you.

VERDICT-SEE IT. One of the scariest movies I’ve seen in a long time. I mean it actually is scary not gory. Check it out for sure.

The short story was great, so can not wait to see this.