1408 3/5 reviewed by Mike

Stephen King stories have had a horrible time in the movie realm. With a few noted (and quite good) exceptions, most of his stories seem to turn into crap as soon as they get into the greasy pages of a Hollywood option contract. Fortunately, 1408 is a film that, while not really being the SAME story as the short story of the same name, is still a solid fright film in it's own right, without falling into the cheap gory junk that usually plagues the horror genre.

I make no secret about my man-crush on John Cusack (ever since I saw 'Better of Dead,' I knew he was awesome for all eternity) and here we see him step into the shoes of aging writer Mike Enslin. Enslin is somewhat of a paranormal investigator who writes books about supposedly haunted places. Of course, being a skeptic who, "doesn't believe in anything," he has never seen an actual paranormal event, and remains an arrogant Agent Scully. That changes when a mysterious postcard arrives in the mail from the Dolphin Hotel in New York, telling him not to go into room 1408. Obviously he tries to book the room, and even a gray-bearded Samuel L. Jackson can't keep Enslin away. Once Mike enters the room (notorious for a history of death and odd occurances), all hell breaks loose, quite literally.

Don't worry too much. The film isn't THAT scary (think of it as a long Twilight Zone)--it's more about Mike's personal journey, and dealing with his own past as well as his own beliefs. To me, this is both the strength and downfall of this movie. While the added backstory of Mike's wife and child is very touching and it created a horror that was very personal and very different from most haunted house stories, it lacked the sense of impending madness and the completely inhuman nature that the short story so masterfully created. The sheer amount of stuff that happened, and the level of weirdness just didn't seem that scary, it was more like a supernatural endurance test. Exploding walls, gushing water, and drastic temperature changes just aren't that scary to me. Also, certain plot elements are not explained at all (who sent that postcard? Don't tell me the ROOM did it...), but it's still a cool story, enjoyable, and worth my ticket price, even though you probably know whats going to happen (man, the ending to King's story is so much BETTER).

In terms of craft, the acting is top notch. Cusack does a marvelous job, and the movie is almost all him by himself, and that ain't easy. The supporting cast is great too. The camera work is spotty. Half the time, it's awesome, and you're just reveling in how cool the shot is, and the other half of the time, it's trying to be awesome and failing. The camera really gets in the way and tries to show off... it's like being in a band with a lead guitarist who never stops shredding, even during the quiet introspective bits.

All and all, the film evens out to an enjoyable experience. And it beats the pants off of the torture porn and slasher flicks that are flooding our theaters. Although 1408 isn't deep, it's ABOUT something, and it has real relationships at it's core--there's real emotions here, not just half-naked high schoolers running around trying to find which hallway leads to knife guy. If you like suspense films, haunted house stories, but hate the slasher stuff, go see this. There's nothing really that you haven't seen anywhere else, but it's done well, and it's a great flick to just go enjoy on an afternoon (or late night). However, as with most adaptations, I highly suggest you read the source material. Go pick up King's "Everything's Eventual" which contains the original 1408 short story, as well as more than a few other gems. Whether or not you should read it before or after doesn't really matter, that's a decision I leave to you, constant reader.

See this movie if:
-You like suspense/horror/haunted house stuff
-You're sick of slasher flicks and torture porn that doesn't value human life
-You like the concept of horror but are scared too easily to see most of them--this is a great thriller that isn't too scary.
-You like John Cusack
-I think it's a good date flick, anyone disagree?

Don't see this movie if:
-'Goosebumps' novels give you nightmares
-You just hate horror movies through and through
-Can't think of anything else. If you saw the trailer and were interested, you'll probably get what you expect and a little fun besides.