1408 (2007)

“He gave me booze! Did he take a sip? I can’t remember. Or maybe it was the chocolate! Don’t take candy from strangers!” – Mike Enslin

Synopses

Mike Enslin is a paranormal writer who spends the night in haunted houses for a living. His books, Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Houses, Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Graveyards, and Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Castles have attracted so him a cult following. He’s not wildly popular, but he makes enough money to live a comfortable life. Despite all of this, Mr. Enslin is a lonely man. His young daughter passed away from a fatal illness and he separated with his wife shortly after. He goes from one haunted hot spot to the next to record his activities all the while, not believing an ounce of it. As skeptical as he may be, he takes his work seriously. So when he receives a postcard in the mail of the dolphin hotel in New York city, with the words “Don’t enter 1408” he is ready for the challenge.

He leaves for New York all most immediately, and checks into the hotel armed with only a cigarette and a cassette recorder to document his night.

Jeff’s Review

Swedish film director Mikael Håfström takes Stephen King’s unsettling story about a haunted hotel room and turned it into an amazing hour and forty six minute fright-fest!

This film is unique because the majority of it is Crusack alone in the hotel room. It has the feel of a Broadway one man show. He takes command of the screen and doesn’t let go.

The film version of 1408 is vastly different and I dare say superior to the book. While King’s novella was good and spooky in it’s own right, the movie takes the story to a whole new level. In the book, we don’t really know what’s going on in the room. All we hear (read) is what Michel records in the cassette recorder. Other then that we are left to our imagination. And while this does work well for a novel, it obviously would not work for the theaters.

The story builds and plays on your anticipation of what is going to happen next. And when it does actually happen, it has you jumping out of your seats with fear. The pacing reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan’s work in Sightings, very slow and methodical.

When you get watch this on DVD, be sure to watch the alternative version of the film too. I would say they are both equally good, while the alterative version is just slightly better. The ending is improved and makes more sense to me then the original.

Cast

John Cusack as Mike Enslin
Samuel L. Jackson as Gerald Olin
Tony Shalhoub as Sam Farrell
Mary McCormack as Lily Enslin
Jasmine Jessica Anthony as Katie Enslin

John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson excel in this masterful ghost story. The scenes with the two of them playoff of each other were one of the most memorable of the film.

Suggestions and Ratings

The MPAA gives 1408 a PG-13 rating for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language. But that all sounds good for a ghost story, right? I give this film two different ratings. The original theatrical release gets three out of four stars, however the alterative, directors version gets four out of four stars.