1408
It’s simplicity itself. Take a guy, put him in a room where 56 people have died over the years, and see where it takes you. Of course, that’s just the setup; things get a little more complicated- for all the right reasons- in this supernatural thriller based on the Stephen King short story.
The story shares a kinship with “The Shining” in more ways than one, but knowing that story won’t help you in figuring out the devious twists director Mikael Håfström (previously of the aptly-titled “Derailed”) and screenwriters Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (the latter the team behind “Ed Wood,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” and “Man on the Moon”) have in store for horror fans looking for a jolt instead of a mere jitter. Though perhaps a bit overboard in the visual department by the end, there’s enough that staggers in this film and lingers in the memory- the sight of one room being torn down into another, the snowfall when the temperature goes down- to pull you in and scare you stupid (with Gabriel Yared’s bold strokes in the score upping the ante effectively).
But you’re only as good as your story, and King and co. have a doozy in store. John Cusack hits all the right notes in a rare dramatic turn- and a damn fine one at that- as Mike Enslin, a writer reeling after the death of his young daughter. Estranged from his wife (Mary McCormack), he’s become something of a mythbuster when it comes to hotels and other locales with haunted pasts, writing books that sell decently, even if they reek of hackwork from a non-believer. Then he gets a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel, an old-school landmark in New York, that says, simply, “Don’t Enter Room 1408.” Intrigued, he inquires about the room, and is abruptly turned down for his request to stay there by hotel manager Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson, who’s dangerous charisma gleams through this brief but effective role). After being told of the room’s dark past- and further intrigued by the archived information of that past offered by Olin- Enslin eventually wares him down, and is presented the key to the room. I’ll let the filmmakers take it from there.
If memories of Kubrick’s classic adaptation of “The Shining” spring into your head upon Enslin’s entrance into 1408, don’t be shocked- the visual and sonic bombast is a nod to the master’s work by Håfström, who makes the material stand on its’ own two feet thanks to Cusack’s grounded performance; this isn’t Jack Nicholson grandstanding but a slow-burn into madness as this non-believer in the paranormal is forced to accept that no explanation can be made for what he sees in his time in the room. And as ever with King, there’s always the personal story at the center of a greater loss that amplifies the tension, and turns his most intriguing horror tales into psychological studies of the main characters. The filmmakers are up to the task (this is one of the best King adaptations of all-time)- are you ready to follow them?
