1408

Title: 1408
Director: Mikael Håfström
Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack
Year: 2007
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language.
Date of Review: July 13, 2007

Troubled underground occult writer Mike Enslin gazes out the window of room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel. It’s a bland room - stereotypical paintings hung on the walls, nicely arranged faux furniture, the works. His mission? To finally discover solid proof that there is life after death - some sort of other ethereal realm of life beyond our own.

Suddenly, while admiring the similarly bland view that the room offers, the radio clicks on at full volume. The shock spins him around to see that two chocolates have been placed on his pillow, which weren’t there just seconds ago. And the lyrics to the song playing on the radio? “We’ve only just begun”

This gives a glimpse of the unnerving material to be found in 1408, the recent psychological horror film starring John Cusack as the aforementioned author, and Samuel L. Jackson as the owner of the Dolphin Hotel. Before we go any further, let it be known that this film is based more on scares in the mind than monsters or axe-wielding maniacs. The idea that a force of evil so horrendous and so inescapable could be contained in a simple room is something that Stephen King - author of the short story upon which the film is based - has explored often in his stories. From possessed cars to evil dogs, he has repeatedly found terror in the realm of the ordinary.

And that’s just what this film is about - an ordinary room. Nothing more. No ghosts or goblins, no vampires or zombies or werewolves. At one point near the beginning of the film, Enslin suggests to the hotel owner that perhaps the room is possessed by an evil spirit, or a poltergeist. To this, the owner replies “no, what is in 1408 is nothing like that...it’s just an evil fucking room.” Those going into the film hoping for some mind-boggling revelation about Lovecraftian beasts from dimensions unknown could be left sorely disappointed, but at the same time, they could get something even better.

It has taken this reviewer three viewings of the film to come to the opinion that it’s quite good. The first was underwhelming for the exact reason that was just outlined - it felt like there was something missing. John Cusack playing a morose horror writer was a stretch to begin with, but the trailers were slightly misleading in that they make it out to be a completely different film than it actually is. If you’ve seen and enjoyed the original 1963 version of The Haunting, then you should appreciate what is here.

That is not to say that there is nothing visually scary about the film, but the visuals are simply there to support the idea that what is in the mind - one’s greatest fears and pains - are infinitely more terrifying than any monster. To be forced to confront the beasts of your own past is much more damaging than having to fight Freddy or Jason, because these memories are yours and yours alone, and to have them manipulated and used against you is a very scary thing.

Another very effective part of the movie is its ability to create a sense of inescapable doom. As Enslin goes deeper and deeper into the room’s evil - and into his own mind - it becomes more apparent that he can never return. The effect of Enslin becoming more isolated throughout the film is done very well - brick walls appearing by windows that used to be open, arctic cold creeping into the room, and a sense of impending doom throughout the whole film that is rarely achieved in horror movies these days.

What 1408’s greatest triumph is, is that it was willing to take so many risks in a genre filled with diluted, “same-old, same-old” dung. Instead of focusing on a group of delinquent teenagers, it’s a depressed middle-aged man, and more than half of the film is devoted to just this one character. And, instead of providing cheap, gorey thrills like the recent torture-porn craze, it provides a real, emotionally affecting story that doesn’t completely destroy itself by dumbing itself down for teenage audiences.

Fans of Stephen King’s work should get a lot out of this movie - especially a great visual tribute to his “Dark Tower” series. And while this reviewer may not be the best to say so - since he is not the biggest fan of The Shining - 1408 could very well be the best big-screen King adaptation to come around...at least in a very, very long while.

8 / 10