Adapted
from a short story by King (I have to admit, I was very worried when I
heard they were mining King's short stories for material), 1408 follows renowned horror novelist Mike Enslin (John Cusack) who believes only in what he can see with his own two eyes.
After
a string of bestsellers discrediting paranormal events in the world's
most infamous haunted houses Enslin's phantom-free run is about to
change forever when he checks into suite 1408 of the notorious Dolphin
Hotel for his latest project. Defying the warnings of "56 deaths
and one self inflicted eye gouging" which have given the room such a
hideous history from the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), Enslin will
go from skeptic to true believer – and will confront his demons to
survive the night.
While many may see the "Stephen King" tagged onto the title as warning
enough - there is something strangely compelling and spooky about 1408 that is quite unexpected. Early on, you certainly get the sense of "Didn't he already do that in The Shining?" and for the first thirty minutes or so of 1408 you really do get the worried feeling that it might just be another slapdash 'Best-Of' (much like the woeful Dreamchatcher from a few years ago, which combined The Shining and Stand By Me among a slew of other King titles). But once Enslin enters the room all bets are off. John
Cusack is simply fantastic here, bringing his usual charm and realistic
"every man" wit which keeps this paranormal story firmly grounded in
reality. The more obvious 'creepy' scenarios (ghosts, bleeding walls)
are met by Enslin just as the audience does (like we've all encountered
these tactics a thousand times) - making the real scares (when they arrive) even more disturbing and gripping. Director,
Mikael Hafstrom, gives quite a compelling visual sense to the internal
struggle of Enslin (a man already tortured by a painful past), never
giving into the 'Eli Roth School of Gore' - concentrating on the sheer
confusion and fear the mind can dangerously possess. While the
ending may leave punters a little unsatisfied (there's perhaps one
twist too many - the final tag leaving you slightly confused as to what
the conclusion is: real, fake, delusion, confusion or hallucination)
there is a good deal of mind torturing entertainment packed into it's
104 minute running time. Enter 1408 - if you dare... EXTRAS
A
director commentary is included here which thankfully clears up a few
of the mysteries, while the remainder of the Special Features are built
up of various production featurettes ranging from "The Characters" to
"Physical Effects".
Well worth a look at for film students, if only to realise how much can actually be achieved on-set, and not simply through CGI.
Great Friday night DVD, highly reccomended.
Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: 60%
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