- Running time:
- 94 minutes
- Rated:
- PG-13
- Cast:
- John Cusack -
- Mike Enslin
- Samuel L. Jackson -
- Mr. Olin
- Mary McCormack -
- Lilly
- Jasmine Jessica Anthony -
- Katie
- Tony Shalhoub -
- Sam Farrell
(0 ratings)
This time it's John Cusack in the writer's shoes as Mike Enslin, an author who's built a modest career out of debunking supposedly "haunted" locales. Intrigued by stories about New York's Dolphin Hotel, specifically room 1408, he arrives and demands to stay the night despite stern warnings from the manager (Samuel L. Jackson). Needless to say, Enslin should've listened (during the movie's overly long opening stretch Jackson delivers one of the movie's best and most foreboding lines, seemingly tailor-made for the actor's special way with profanity).
A lot of "1408" is genuinely scary stuff, especially when the action starts to ramp up during the middle half hour. Ghostly apparitions appear out of nowhere and any attempt Enslin makes to leave is immediately thwarted in one disturbing fashion or another. Director Mikael Håfström does a much better job of building tension here than in his previous English language film, the lamentable Clive Owen/Jennifer Aniston thriller "Derailed."
The film's emphasis on psychological scares over blood-and-guts horror is admirable but Enslin never develops into an interesting central character, and things go from scary to silly pretty quickly when the room starts exploiting his personal tragedy to get him to crack. Things get downright tedious by the time multiple weak attempts at a twist ending roll around.
King's version of "1408" was a short story, and despite the adaptation's relatively brief 90-minute running time there apparently isn't enough meat on this tale to successfully sustain a feature length.
SHOWTIME LISTINGS
Movie theaters and showtimes for 1408 in Los Angeles.
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