1408 (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
(Thriller) Based on a short story by Stephen King, a man who specializes in debunking the paranormal checks into the infamous room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel, only to discover? the terror is real.
As creepfests go, 1408 is right up there with The Shining, also inspired by a Stephen King work and featuring a menacing hotel and the wobbly sanity of a writer lodging there. "It's an evil [bleep]-ing room!" intones Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the smooth but vaguely sinister manager of the Dolphin Hotel. John Cusack is stellar as Mike Enslin, a cynical Everyschlub who writes "occult travel guides," but believes in nothing, especially anything resembling an afterlife. What happens in room 1408 of the Dolphin may change Enslin forever--if he survives the first hour. The thrills range from jumpy "gotcha" moments involving mirror images, to more traditional horror fare like bleeding walls, to truly diabolical touches like the recurrence of the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun." (Shudder.) The film does a nice job of weaving the operatic horror effects with the truly heart-breaking backstory of the death of Enslin's young daughter and his marriage--perhaps the only two things Enslin has ever believed in. And thankfully, there's just enough humor to leaven the intensity at key moments; Cusack is unparalleled when it comes to delivering a self-deprecating wisecrack, even as his life passes before his eyes. Get your adrenaline pumping and check into this room. Oh, and sorry, no refunds. A.T. Hurley
1408 (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Accessories
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1408 (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Reviews
Then why'd the room kill all those other people. It has that same psychological element that the Saw movies do, for me at least, in that they force the character(s) to brave something terrible to realize how much they want to live. ***REAL UNAMBIGUOUS SPOILER AHEAD***. It is apparent as the movie gets going that Cusack's character has his own inner demons he needs to face down, and it's growingly ambiguous whether or not the "ghosts" he faces in that room are his own, or the room's. OK now a lot of people who give this movie a bad review seem to be forgetting a few things. John Cusack dominates the entire movie with stone-faced brilliance in a way only he can. All in all, what few reviewers seem to mention or notice is that this is much more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie.
So that's why I took off a star. First off, I wouldn't really call this a horror movie. It's all very psychologically driven, so hardcore horror fans who love the fast-paced gorefest will probably be bored by this movie. Because when King wants to scare you, or at least make you feel eerie, he accomplishes it. That room forced him to face his demons and realize that he wants to live, REALLY live. Cusack's character is a jaded not-easily-scared writer, so all these cheap B-movie horror-flick type scare shots are just there to test his belief system. And believe. But the thing that makes this movie so awesome is that you never really know if he's imagining what's happening to him or if it's real.
Jackson's role is totally ambiguous, even the room itself is totally ambiguous. I mean he's Stephen King for crying out loud; he's the horror genius. The movie really keeps you guessing until the very end and even then it's kind of left somewhat up in the air. For me personally, I think Stephen King worked it this way on purpose. The end is totally unclear, for my dumb brain at least.
You don't think he can think of better or more original scares than to make the walls drip blood. So it's his inner demons then. Maybe it's a bit corny but it's how I interpreted the movie. Cusack's character was like the walking dead before he met that room. I took off one star because I thought they could've done better if they'd made the film an R-rating. ***SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY***.
Also, I notice a lot of people who negatively review the movie claim that the scares in it are cheap and run-of-the-mill. Not to mention, and again this is a kind of a spoiler, that Samuel L. It's more of a mystery/ghost-story.
Sorry, but anyone who places this film on par with The Shining is just plain uninformed. This film is just going through the motions. The only thing even slightly redeeming in 1408 is Cusack's performance, which is strained, I believe, to make-up for the utterly uninspired directing and flat screen write.
Then all usual ingredients show up. Walls spilling blood, check. Dead children appearing, check. Zombies, check.Desperate fugue in labyrinth, check. Eerie unhearthly lights, check. But. Our protagonist goes in an hotel that has an haunted room (1408, at least it wasn't 666).
Scary ghosts, Check. Ghastly pictures on walls running wild, check. At first the only horrific thing he notices is the hideous wallpaper. Homicidal madman with ax, check.
We saw it, and it was a masterpiece, contrary to this confused and confusing drivel. That's right. wait a moment. Let's see.electric appliances going on of their own, check.Unsettling music, check.
Didn't we see it all in Kubrick's Shining.
However, in spite of its gripping first half, the film gradually loses steam, not knowing where to go. Ignoring the warning words of the manager, a jaded writer Mike Enslin checks in the room where he encounters a series of creepy events. The Carpenters song is a nice touch, but director Mikael Håfström takes too much time to lead us to the climax, and some of the tricks you will see are nothing new and sometimes look repetitious. John Cusack and his strong acting successfully provide tension and occasional humor to the familiar story while the superb production designs and the photography of the dimly-lit interiors give the film an authentic feel. The Dolphin Hotel's "Room 1408" is actually "an evil room," the hotel manager says, where more than 50 guests have committed suicide there (one drowned in his chicken soup). Jackson appears as the hotel manager Gerald Olin, but his role is just an extended cameo and the film is virtually about Cusack's hero and the room itself. Samuel L. The story is pretty simple.
Had it not been for John Cusack who plays the skeptic protagonist Mike, "1408" could have been an unwatchable mess. Whatever the room does, the room does anyway, and there are not many options it can eventually take. I enjoyed watching "1408" for the most part, but it is also true that I couldn't shake off the feeling that I saw it all elsewhere. "1408," based on a Stephen King short, has familiar elements seen in numerous haunted house stories (in book or film) of the past, most notably, "The Shining" - both stories centering on isolated space, for example - but their approach is different. Mike, who doesn't believe in these paranormal events, must endure the terrifying 60 minutes there. A man stays in a cursed room in a New York Hotel.
And while the theatrical version of the film isn't bad, it's the director's cut with an alternate ending that really deserves your attention, making 1408 one of the better Stephen King adaptations to see the light of day in the past few years. John Cusack stars as Mike Enslin, a jaded and somewhat haunted author who travels around to supposedly haunted places to debunk their myths. I'd put off seeing 1408 for a while, namely based on the fact that PG-13 rated horror just doesn't do much for me.
Not to mention that I can't remember the last Stephen King adaptation, except for The Mist, that was actually pretty good. Upon hearing of the bloody history of the Dolphin Hotel's haunted room 1408, Mike ends up taking it on, despite the warnings of the hotel's manager (Samuel L. All in all, if you're in the mood for some great suspense that actually will keep you guessing how it'll all end; 1408 is definitely worth a trip.
Directed with efficient dread and perfect pacing by Mikael Håfström, 1408 is carried by a spectacular performance from Cusack, and some truly scary moments to boot. Needless to say, Mike gets much more than he bargained for, and it isn't long before he starts becoming a believer. Jackson).
Well, I'm happy to say I finally gave 1408 a chance, and walked away quite satisfied, especially by the longer director's cut of the film that takes up the second disc of this Two-Disc Collector's Edition.
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