FILM NAME: 1408 - On DVD

FILM COMPANY: Di Bonaventura Pictures, Inc., Dimension Films

DIRECTOR: Mikael Hafstrom

PRINCIPAL ACTORS: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Jasmine Jessica Anthony, Christopher Carey

DATE OF RELEASE: June 22^nd 2007GENRE: Suspense/Horror, Thriller.

FILM LENGTH: 1 hr. 34 min.

RATING: PG-13

WEBSITE: http://www.1408-themovie.com/

3 ½ Stars

REVIEWED BY: Emily Axelson

With films based on Stephen King novels and stories, the quality varies so you never know what to entirely expect. On one hand, there are some extraordinary King books to film, (The Shining, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption), but on the other hand they can be way over the top, cheesy and pointless (It, Cujo.) I think 1408 is the ideal example for hovering between the two sides. It’s an interesting story with very good acting, and at times can be terrifying, but when it got to the point that there was a blizzard in the hotel room, I began to lose interest and what the purpose of the film was.

John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a grieving father dealing with the loss of his daughter who writes novels, stories and summaries of experiences he has when he stays in haunted houses, hotels, or anything of the sort. Being quite disappointed in the business, never experiencing any true paranormal activity, he ventures to the most haunted hotel room he’s ever heard of -- Room 1408. The hotel manager Mr. Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) warns him over and over again that nothing good can possibly come from staying in the evil room, and that there have been countless deaths; most of which were committed during the first hour that they are in the room. Convinced that it is purely a myth and fictional, Mike sticks to his plan and checks into the room. At first, everything goes well and he is completely certain that the phenomenon of 1408 is merely a hoax. Even when the clock starts counting down from one hour, he still thinks that Mr. Olin is playing a prank to frighten him. At this point, he begins seeing ghosts walking around, paintings changing, and things turning on their own. The worst part of it all is…he can’t leave. The room literally locks him inside, and the only escape is out the window five levels up. Believing he is going out of his mind, Enslin’s worst nightmares start to come true. He is trapped within his own personal hell, but can he last a whole hour or will he wind up like all the others?

I’m on the fence about this one. On one hand, it’s a disturbing and an extremely well-acted thriller, but on the other it just gets too unrealistic to be believable. I thought the build up to the suspense was very well done, and Samuel L. Jackson portrayed the worried and cautionary manager quite well, making you expect it to be THAT much more frightening. Most of suspense was quite creepy, before it got to the ‘natural storms,’ at least. The fact that he’s trapped in the one room for nearly the entire thing makes you feel very claustrophobic and almost as if you’re in the room with him and you too are trapped; that was definitely one factor that contributed to the terror.

John Cusack’s acting was consistently impressive, but one scene of his just blew me away. When Enslin’s daughter approaches him, Cusack’s emotional breakdown in that scene was heartbreaking. It was one of the most believable and realistic crying scenes I can remember ever seeing.

For the first half I was actually quite impressed, but the blizzard brought it down to a realm of absurdity; when it reached the point to an ocean storm that was just it! I give 1408 credit for having a promising first half, and if they had kept the same feel in the latter half, it would have been a much, much better in my opinion. If given the chance, I’d watch this again but not something I’d watch many times over. I’d recommend watching it so you can appreciate at least the first half, like I did.