1408

Don't Stay In Room 1408, Don't Even Rent It.

On a Monday at my local library they have a 'rent two DVDs and get one free' offer. That's the kind of deal that makes waste of space movie nerds like me soil their underwear, before spending the next hour indecisively perusing the shelves for that elusive gem that flew under the radar. '1408' is neither a gem, nor did it fly under any radars, but I rented it all the same, reasoning that any movie starring John Cusack couldn't be that bad...could it?

Loosely adapted from a Stephen King short story (no guarantee of quality) '1408' follows hack writer Mike Enslin, who makes a living visiting supposedly haunted guest houses, then exposing them as frauds in his books. Enslin is a cynical sort, who's willing to believe in the paranormal, just as soon as he sees tangible proof. So when he receives a mysterious post card carrying the simple message 'don't stay in room 1408' He sets about doing what a hack haunted paranormal guest house reviewer has gotta do. Soon he's off to meet hotel manager Samuel L Jackson, who tells him in no uncertain terms that room 1408 is 'an evil room' and under no circumstances should he even enter...

'1408' starts nicely in that it creates an effective sense of foreboding. Indeed when Jackson tells you a room is bad news, you're inclined to believe him. Before Cusack actually sets foot inside said room this is actually a very good horror movie. But in expertly building up to the scares, director Hafstrom sets us up for what is inevitably a disappointing pay off. I can only equate the experience to one of those occasions where you've told your friends about a great joke or story, only to end up refusing a recital, because it'll just be a huge anti climax. Well that's exactly how watching '1408' feels.

The main problem here is that essentially the film is just a bad variation on the old haunted house theme. Good examples of the genre, films like 'House On The Haunted Hill', (b&w original) 'The Shining' , 'The Others' and 'The Orphanage' all had in common the art of subtly creating chilling suspense. Instead when it comes to the scares in '1408', Hafstrom goes for the 'everything but the kitchen sink' approach. He makes us jump, the room shakes, we get pyrotechnics, objects move around, electrical appliances go crazy etc etc. All of those devices can be perfectly effective in context. The trouble is in '1408' they're strung together in a lazy abstract fashion that leaves you totally disconnected, and in most cases downright confused. Anyone who finds this scary, either hasn't seen any of the above films, or are so neurotic, they'd make Woody Allen look like Dirty Harry.

On the plus side Cusack does everything he can with the material. Enslin's sardonic musings are an amusingly enjoyable distraction. Plus Jackson's contribution is a memorable one, if frustratingly brief.

I just wish the message on that postcard had read 'don't watch the rest of this movie'. Infact you'd be better off just watching up to Cusack entering the room, turning it off, and making the rest up yourself. **Stars (based on 5 star rating).

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100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED

First, you need to have spaces between your paragraphs.

Second, I need to re-watch this movie.

My first viewing probably warrants this film .

Hey there

Thanks for the reviews. I would like to tag these so they link up to our user review section, but they need a bit or reformatting before that can happen. First off, the thread title needs to be the title of the film. The tag lines you are coming up with are cool, so perhaps put those at the top of the review in the thread, rather than the title. Also, paragraph formatting could use a little tightening up, as the reviews look a bit cramped. Peruse some of the other user reviews to see what sort of formatting is used.

Thanks again for the submissions.

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Yea, I didn't even attempt to read your post because it's all jumbled together. However, I rather enjoyed 1408. It wasn't excellent, but it wasn't bad either. I should probably pick it up and watch it again.

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

Thanks for the comments Sedai,

is there any way I can edit the thread title and resubmit? Please advise.

Regarding your David Lynch quote, I've never been a fan of his, and have to disagree with his philosophy on what scares people. His best film in my opinion is 'The Straight Story' and that says it all really. A viewer has to be able to identify with what is happening on screen to a certain extent, in order to experience fear. Cusacks's character in '1408' is well drawn, we like him, and subsequently care what happens to him. The third and final acts of the movie however, are an uneven disjointed mess, that make no sense whatsoever. Halfstrom seems to be trying every trick in the book to scare, and in doing so makes his audience painfully aware of the fact, rather than being drawn in (and terrified) by the action. Just my opinion.

RE: Title - I can edit it for you, if you would like.

Yeah, Lynch isn't for everyone, and, I don't fall into that category of viewer you mention. I am interested in the language of cinema, and it's a language that sometimes takes time to understand for me. I like Lynch because he is able to harness the visceral so well, putting the viewer in some of the situations his characters are in in some ways.

Meanwhile, my favorite film is Blade Runner, which I see you have listed in your favs. Kudos for that.

"More human than human, that's our motto"

Hi Sedai,

yes please feel free to edit the title down, would appreciate it if you did the same with my 'He Was A Quiet Man' review also.

I have just posted a review/rant on 'Death Proof', please check it out. Hopefully the specs on that one are ok,

thanks again.

Looks good. The site Admin got to it before I did (he kicks ass that way), so it's already up in the review section for all to see. Again, thanks for the content.

Hi again Sedai (sorry, looks like you get to look after the new kid)

First of all thanks for all your help so far, I just have a few more questions.
1. How do I add that neat popcorn rating icon at the bottom of my reviews?
2. How do I add a link to a thread on these messages?
3. I've recently added a 'Sci-Fi Disasters You'd Like To See Remade'
thread to the general movie talk forum. I'd like to add it to a Sci-Fi movie forum (I'm sure there must be one of these) so the right people get to see it, how do I do this?

your advice would be appreciated,
thanks.

I loved this film it was great its just another thriller that was a favorite of mine. The whole film I thought was great, one of my fav scenes was when he was looking thro the window at the old guy in the opporsite building then it slowly turned to him waving at himself.

Awsome.

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~In the event of a Zombie Uprising, remember to sever the head or destroy the brain!~

Yeah I actually enjoyed 1408. It was kinda cheesy but seriously freaky at times. Just fun for me, I'd watch it again if it came on cable...

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"More human than human" is our motto.

I totally agree with you. This movie made no sense to me it felt like someone did a jedi mind trick on me. He is in the room he is outta the room he thinks he is outta the room but he is in the room. Then some random dude pops outta no where with a mask on. yea good movie.

alright i made an account jus for this lol, if samuel l jackson the mananger, didnt want in that room so badly whyd he send a postcard readin dont go in 1408?

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If you put a movie in to fall asleep, whyd you buy it?