With horror these days either going to torture porn or weak PG-13 remakes of Asian scarefests, it is refreshing to see a classic horror tale that takes the viewer into the hell of its characters' minds. But what do you expect from the master of horror Stephen King. This is one of the better horror adaptations of his work in some time. Less interested in the twists and turns of the plot (but there are some), this film is more interested in the twisted turns inside its main character's psyche.
Mike Enslin (John Cusack, HIGH FIDELITY) is a failed novelist who now writes travel guides of haunted locations across the U.S. Estranged from his wife Lily (Mary McCormack, DEEP IMPACT), he is struggling with the death of his young daughter Katie (Jasmine Jessica Anthony, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN). He gets an anonymous postcard warning him not to stay in room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York City. Enslin's interest in peaked and he is willing to face some of his demons to see what lies in the haunted hotel room where more than 50 people have died. Hotel manager Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson, SNAKES ON A PLANE) nearly begs him not to stay in the room and warns him that no one has lasted longer than an hour.
Director Mikael Håfström (DERAILED), working from a script by Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, paces the film nicely. He takes the time to build impending dread without the need to shock us right from the start. It slowly creeps you to the edge of your seat and keeps you there with anticipation of what will happen next. This isn't a film that generates physical reactions; this is the kind of horror that works on your mind. At its core, the story deals with the emotional hell that Mike is feeling. The story makes the emotional and mental physical. Through the action we understand better the unending torment Mike experiences. All the twists in the end play upon this notion, making them engaging extensions of the narrative and not just cheap shocks.
Key to us caring about what happens is the gripping performance of Cusack. It's pretty much a one-man show and he nails it. He plays torment and anguish in this horror film as if he were playing it in an Oscar-contending drama. That kind of dedication takes the film to another level and brings real weight.
Aided by great set design and subtle visual effects, 1408 is a journey into a personal hell. There are some tragic experiences in life that are so bad that it's hard for us to truly understand them if we haven't experienced them ourselves. A good storyteller kinds ways to make those experiences relatable through mirroring the same feelings in their plot. Like Dante, this film brings us into the torment of its character, which is a chilling experience… and much scarier than a few boo moments and gore would ever be.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
