John Cusack in 1408 (2007).
© MGM/Dimension Films
Mania Grade: B
Maniac Grade: A-
Reviewed Format: Theatrical Release
Rated: PG-13
Stars: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack
Writers: Matt Greenberg and Larry Karaszewski & Scott Alexander, based on the short story by Stephen King
Director: Mikael Hafstrom
Distributor: MGM/Dimension Films
Maniac Grade: A-
Reviewed Format: Theatrical Release
Rated: PG-13
Stars: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack
Writers: Matt Greenberg and Larry Karaszewski & Scott Alexander, based on the short story by Stephen King
Director: Mikael Hafstrom
Distributor: MGM/Dimension Films
1408
By: Abbie BernsteinReview Date: Friday, June 22, 2007
Watching 1408, one feels that if it were about an hour long – say, as an episode of Masters of Horror – it might have been brilliant. However, at 94 minutes, it looks as though somebody felt this adaptation of a Stephen King short story (from his anthology Everything’s Eventual) had to have an additional emotional arc that’s being resisted by the other story elements, with the result that legitimate scares are forced to compete with other, less sincere-seeming but still attempted visceral effects. The upshot is, not surprisingly, a mixed bag.
John Cusack stars as Mike Enslin, a writer who had one evidently good but not popular novel get published. He’s now achieved reasonable success by writing a series of books on supposedly haunted places, despite his complete cynicism on the subjects of the supernatural and the afterlife. Mike is eager to stay in – and debunk – Room 1408 in Manhattan’s Dolphin Hotel. He’s surprised by the reluctance of the manager (Samuel L. Jackson), who insists there’s a very good reason that particular room is closed to guests.
The build-up the manager gives the room’s history, besides showing Jackson at his most entertaining, is so creepily juicy that we wonder if anything can possibly live up to this kind of hype. We don’t wonder why Mike still insists on going forward – the guy doesn’t know he’s the main character in a Stephen King story, after all – and the slow onset of weirdness within the room as established by director Mikael Hafstrom and screenwriters Matt Greenberg, Larry Karaszewski & Scott Alexander is actually pretty spooky. We’re primed to jump and be frustrated and frightened along with Mike.
But then comes that dictate to play up Mike’s past. This screws things up on two levels. One, it’s not that well integrated into the terrors of the room, leaving us unfortunate time to start guessing how it will play out (and this specific scenario seems no-win for the filmmakers) and two, it’s not well set up from the outset. If we’d seen a streak of sadness in Mike at the beginning, we might be more primed for these revelations, but since Mike initially comes off as someone who is a wise-aleck by constitution, rather than someone who has chosen this attitude out of great pain, it feels forced when we learn more about him. Cusack is a terrific actor and plays all the individual scenes strongly – and is a real trouper in physical terms as the situation in the hotel room gets more and more hazardous – but the through-line just doesn’t hold up.
More From Mania
KING Talks 1408, Eli Roth's Horror & Hollywood!
Mary McCormack joins 1408
(Monday, August 14, 2006)
Kate Walsh and John Cusack in 1408
(Wednesday, July 12, 2006)
Jackson Will Manage 1408
(Tuesday, April 4, 2006)
Dimension Checks into 1408
(Wednesday, October 26, 2005)
What horror lurks in room 1408?
(Friday, November 7, 2003)
See more related content
My wife and I listened to 1408 on a dark stretch of I-40 in Oklahoma driving to Vegas. Holy crap, that is a creepy story! Not sure how its going to play out on the big screen, but the original read by King with all of its horrific subtlety is not to be missed.