A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror. With John Cusack and Samuel L.
Hotel rooms are naturally creepy places. Don t go in that room, and as well you shouldn t, one crazy little room indeed. Well, Stephen King sure knows how to creep people out with his stories, even though this is only based on a short story by King, its still very well elaborated and plays out very well as a movie.
This movie was extremely psychological and 100% haunted house type of scary. 1408 definitely has its twists and turns, and definitely questions the paranormal. I found myself waiting and wondering what other creepy element will scare the hell out of me or definitely freak the hell out of me and Mike Enslin (John Cusack).
This film was incredibly intense, well, psychologically intense anyway. I was disappointed to see Samuel L. Jackson having only a minor role, although he s an important character, he s only in the film for about 20min; 20 very important and creepy minutes.
In my opinion, this film was pretty stunning, it just wasn t you re average and ordinary slasher(well, not exactly slasher)/horror/psychological movie, it was even more than that, it broke through those boundaries and created something imaginative and something worth watching. Sure, things that happen in this film are still questionable, but hey, it s a room from hell, so it can do what ever it wants. Music is good, definitely pumps up the creep factor to 10.
Acting is also really good, John Cusack did a great job, it really feels like this character is going mad and you feel like joining him in the process. There s only so much you can do inside a room, and there s only to much that can happen in room 1408. Visually, I thought this film was really well made, even though it was only in a room, you are so immersed in the movie that you feel like you re in the room with John Cusack, and the camera never shifts out of the room, it always stays inside the room or around it.
So, naturally Mike (John Cusack) is a writer, a writer who pretty much writes about the paranormal, although he has never seen one, he truly wishes to experience an encounter. He comes across a hotel called The Dolphin Hotel, in New York. Mike finds out that there were several deaths in room 1408 and wants to reserve that room for a night, but unfortunately its unavailable for that certain day, or week, or month and even next summer.
Mike is determined to sleep in that room, so he decides to get a lawyer and make it happen..and he does.
Mike goes to the Dolphin Hotel and tries to check it, but the manager wants to speak to him first before letting him sleep in that room. Jackson) politely asks Mike to not sleep in that room, he s even generous enough to offer a pent house suite, Gerald tries so hard not to let Mike stay in that room, but Mike is once again determined to sleep in 1408. What I thought that was really well done was the explanations that were given by Gerald, were so damn freaky that I would have never wanted to enter that room, I would have walked out of the theatre even!
(But I didn t). That just goes to show you how creepy this movie is and really can be very psychological. Anyway, Gerald explains to Mike that there were over 56 deaths in 1408, about only 4 mentioned in the newspapers.
Later, Gerald finally gives the key to Mike and lets him stay in that room, but once again politely asks him no to enter that room and tells him that no one lasted more then an hour. So, off Mike goes into room 1408..
and I knew that I was prepared for one hell of a creepy ride. I was prepared to enter 1408, the room from hell. Then, weird things happen one after another and don t stop.
The room is full of marvellous things...
marvellously evil things. 1+4+0+8=13, how ironic. Well, the movie has a little similarity to final destination, you know in final destination when a certain type of music kept playing all the time before death showed up?
Well, in this movie, its pretty much the same thing, the radio turns on all on its own and a certain type of music keeps playing then freaky things start happening. Blood drips from the walls, the room floods, ghosts appear, windows and objects disappear, paintings are wrecked and changed, phones ring, creepy people start talking..
.and, the most important thing of all, the one hour counter starts ticking down. It was very well thought out, but I found it kinda strange that his wireless computer was working inside that devil ish room.
But, other then that, it was still very entertaining. Also, I was almost disappointed, I thought it was ending and told myself and hoped that this wasn t the kind of ending that was gonna be appointed to me..
.and thank god it wasn t. The ending wasn t bad at all, most questions were answered so you don t come out of the theatre 100% confused.
Overall, it was a very great psychological ride, I m also very glad that Eli Roth didn t direct this one, or else it would have been completely different. To all Thriller fans and Stephen King, you don t want to miss this one. I d see it again in a heart beat.
It also goes to show you that you don t need gore to get you re point across. I slipt and I fell..
the room did no defeat me.
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