1408

My problem with 1408 may be one of opinion or taste. The problem I have with films inspired by works by Stephen King is that I just don't like Stephen King (with the rare exception of The Shining which is a great book and an even better film). I admit that I am not as well versed in King as some of my friends. I've read most of his more popular books and I just don't like them. His work tends to set an impressive immediate tone. He builds a great, creepy atmosphere. Then, it all just gets silly. Maybe it's because I'm not a fan of the ghost story or the supernatural. I just don't find things that don't exist to be all that scary. I am more scared of people. People are real and they can really hurt you. Ghosts can not. So, to me, 1408 suffers the very same problem. The beginning builds a creepy atmosphere... that never really pays off.

The film starts out by introducing us to author Mike Enslin (John Cusack), a writer who, at one time, wrote powerful books but now is relegated to writing about supposedly haunted hotels and lighthouses and graveyards. The only problem is: he doesn't believe in ghosts. After a getaway to yet another non-creepy hotel and a less than impressive book signing, he returns home to find a postcard for New York City's Dolphin Hotel. The message? Don't stay in 1408. So, immediately he wants to stay in 1408. He calls the hotel and tries to book 1408 and they tell him it's unavailable... before he even mentions a date. So, his lawyer manages to find a loop hole. If he shows up at the hotel and the room isn't taken, it's against the law to refuse him the room. That's exactly what he does. The film sets a wonderful tone at first. The atmosphere is genuinely creepy. There's more than sufficient backstory about room 1408 to make it seem absolutely terrifying. Even after he checks into the room and the creepy things start to happen, it still manages to be creepy. I especially loved the almost demonic use of songs by The Carpenters (a band I just adore, by the way).

Anyway, then the movie takes a turn for the worse. I can't really give away the things that happen but it all just gets a little silly. Really, it just becomes crazy. And not crazy in a good way. Not crazy like Bug which was pure crazy genius. It becomes stupid crazy. He's in the hotel... he's not in the hotel... he's back in the hotel. He's out of the hotel but maybe he'll end up back in the hotel. Is it all in his head? Is any of it really happening? Really, it's just stupid. By the end of the movie, I'm not even sure I care what was real and what wasn't.

But the build up to the stupidity is so great. And the film definitely scores some extra points for John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson (who's role is very small... and sort of confusing). Jackson is just simply one of the coolest guys alive. Cusack simply eminates oodles of charm. He's such a beloved actor and there's a reason for it. Even if he's playing a character here who may not be the best man in the world, he's still intensely likeable. I can't imagine anyone who doesn't like John Cusack. You are instantly invested in his character no matter how out of control crazy the story becomes, which is a huge saving factor for this movie that really just dashes most of what it's worked up to with a terrible, throw away ending.

First Half - B+

Second Half - D
Grade: C+