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Review #472 of 365
Movie Review of 1408 (2007) [PG-13] 94 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $9.00
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 22 June 2007
Time: 2:40 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Scheduled for release: 2 October 2007
Directed by: Mikael Håfström (Derailed)
Screenplay by: Matt Greenberg (Reign of Fire), Scott Alexander (Agent Cody Banks), and Larry Karaszewski (Agent Cody Banks) based son the short story by Stephen King
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him / Her from):
John Cusack (The Ice Harvest) • Samuel L. Jackson (Black Snake Moan) • Mary McCormack (For Your Consideration) • Jasmine Jessica Anthony ("Commander in Chief") • Tony Shalhoub (The Great New Wonderful)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
— or — order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Ok, let's get some of the easy stuff about 1408 out of the way first...
1408? 1 + 4 + 0 + 8 = 13 Hotels don't usually have a floor numbered 13 due to superstitious types, so the 14th floor is really the 13th floor, and the digits of this room number add up to 13—which would be even worse for the superstitious types.
Source? Of course, the screenplay by Matt Greenburg, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski is based on a short story by horror meister meister horror Stephen King called, "1408" – you can order the book below if you'd like to read the original.
Déjà Vu Factors? Yes, you've seen a horror story about an evil hotel by Stephen King before. It's called The Shining which has been made into a major motion picture and an ABC mini-series. And, yes, John Cusack has previously done a psychologically disturbing horror film that takes place mostly in hotel rooms that's pretty scary. It was called, Identity, in case you want to see it again—I think I might; and, honestly, I would rather have had a sequel to Identity than this new film, if that tells you anything.
Apologies? Well, ok, I'm going to apologize to Stephen King from the outset, because, regrettably, this review is going to be harsh. I've not read his short story, and one never knows then how faithfully it has been adapted. That said though, one has to wonder given that the film, Secret Window, was an additionally similar themed novel about a writer who goes mad, and there's The Shining, about a guy who goes crazy in a hotel, etc., well…I'm hedging, but I'm guessing there are only so many horror story concepts out there? If the world's most prolific horror novelist begins to recycle a bit??? (gulp) Like I said, this is an apology statement. I don't dare be too critical of Stephen King nor his work. It's not his fault if people want to adapt his stories. And, if he recycles a bit, even unintentionally, he's entitled, I suppose.
Ok, so now, 1408. Arrrgggghhhh. I doubt just about anyone could see this film and not be disappointed. Partially, it's because we really haven't been delivered a truly horrific horror movie or psychologically terrifying film in a long, long time, despite all the Hollywood marketing campaigns to the contrary. They keep promising, but the films do not deliver. Partially, it's also because the ending to 1408 couldn't have been more trite. I'll get to that later with some spoiler warnings. Partially, it's because hotel / motel room horror films, of late, have simple become repetitive.
There's a line in the film where paranormal investigative writer, Mike Enslin (John Cusack) says something like, "There's something inherently creepy about all hotel rooms. You don't know how many people have slept in that bed…" etc. Yeah, I had never thought about that. There's a lot of really creepy sort of things like that though. When you eat out at a nice restaurant that uses metal silverware, you have no idea how many people have previously had that fork in their mouth. Yuck, makes the KFC spork seem like a grand idea, doesn't it? But, this sort of creepy isn't horror creepy, it's just icky creepy. Sort of like roaches or bugs or snakes. They might induce a sense of fear in some, but for most they are just icky or not things we'd like to think about. Back to the partialities…it's finally partially because the marketing guys accomplished something relatively similar to Samuel L. Jackson's character, Gerald Olin, manager of the Dolphin Hotel in NYC, where he builds up all this horror regarding this room and does everything he can to talk Mike out of staying in it, but when Mike gets in the room, it's not all that bad. As I was leaving the theater I thought to myself, "I kind of wish Gerald had been there at the ticket counter to try and talk me out of seeing the movie." Well, not really, I had to see it to review it, but you get the point. If you build up a film this big, you'd better deliver.
John Cusack Buy From Art.com
"… a 3 out of 10 on the shiver scale…this is a huge load for John Cusack to bear nearly alone…"
Well, Mike does get what he bargained for, he finally does get a horrific experience and endure mental tortures etc. Unfortunately, we don't have enough to go on to really empathize or relate to him to make us really care what happens to him. All we have is this suddenly overused to the point of nearly becoming a literary device concept of parents who lost a young child syndrome (this year alone we've seen the couple from Vacancy—another horror motel movie and Ashley Judd's character in Bug who coincidentally lived in a motel in what was also supposed to be a horrifying film and also lost her son when he was little at a grocery store) to have any insight into Mike at all. Oh, and maybe his relationship with his father was rocky. If you don't care very much about the protagonist of a story, you are unlikely to care how horrifying his experiences are. In this case, honestly, we don't even see a reason for him to try to get out of his psychologically terrifying mess.
The plot and the screenplay are a huge weakness for the film. There is too much left unexplained. As for the main character, we don't know why Mike gave up his career as a promising novelist to become a nearly schlock author of books about the top ten haunted houses that ride the low shelves of paper back novel shops. As for plot details, we do not know who sent Mike the ominous postcard that sent him to 1408 at The Dolphin Hotel in the first place. We get some odd mumbo jumbo about how Gerald Olin takes a crew of housekeepers into the room once a month for a maximum of 10 minutes to change the linens and dust, while simultaneously disallowing any guests from ever staying in a room he dubs as 'evil'. He also dishes some vague language that leads us to believe the hotel is owned by a Japanese conglomerate that won't face the reality of room 1408 as an explanation as to why it's not just been sealed off. It's hard to understand why other guests are willing to stay on the same floor with the ominously famed room. I'll stop there and leave the rest of my questions for the spoiler.
So, if the plot and screenplay are tenuous, can the acting compensate? Well, this is a huge load for John Cusack to bear nearly alone. The bulk of the film is 60 minutes of him alone in an evil hotel room bent on trying to make him 'check out'—figuratively—from the hotel as it has apparently been successful with 56 or so other guests. Not that Mr. Cusack's not up to the challenge, but this is a huge challenge to overcome. He actually comes pretty close to succeeding. For most of the 60 minutes he's believable. There are a few cracks in the veneer. It's got to get a bit dreadful and monotonous, just as it does for the character, to be put through just about every form of fear-based torture from baking, to freezing, to crawling through small spaces with bugs, to walking a 6-inch ledge 13 stories above ground, to nearly drowning, to watching a loved one explode into ash, to nearly being burned up alive. As an actor, one might think he might have said at some point, "Hmm, where's all this leading?" Samuel L. Jackson's role is slight, but he makes a commanding point with it. At first, his cadence of dialog is a bit awkward and overly dramatic, but eventually, he really does a brilliant job with this small role. As for any of the other actors, their combined screen time has to be less than 10 minutes, and barely worth mentioning. At the core, this is 60+ minutes of John Cusack's character battling his own psychological issues, and he does a $12-12.75 job.
The special effects are good, nothing that spectacular. The music was ok, nothing that creepy. The direction by Mikael Håfström was methodical, not spectacular. So, with a plot and ending that belong in $4.75 to $6 range and a Cusack performance in the $12-$12.75 range, how does that balance out for the film? Sometimes the number do add up, and the result is about a $9. Of course, Michael Enslin has his own scale, called the Shiver Scale that's 1-10 shivers. I'd have to give it about a 3 out of 10 on the shiver scale as, honestly, it wasn't that scary. Honestly, yes, I'd rather see a sequel to Identity. (click here for the spoiler)
The plot and the screenplay are a huge weakness for the film. There is too much left unexplained. As for the main character, we don't know why Mike gave up his career as a promising novelist to become a nearly schlock author of books about the top ten haunted houses that ride the low shelves of paper back novel shops. As for plot details, we do not know who sent Mike the ominous postcard that sent him to 1408 at The Dolphin Hotel in the first place. We get some odd mumbo jumbo about how Gerald Olin takes a crew of housekeepers into the room once a month for a maximum of 10 minutes to change the linens and dust, while simultaneously disallowing any guests from ever staying in a room he dubs as 'evil'. He also dishes some vague language that leads us to believe the hotel is owned by a Japanese conglomerate that won't face the reality of room 1408 as an explanation as to why it's not just been sealed off. It's hard to understand why other guests are willing to stay on the same floor with the ominously famed room. I'll stop there and leave the rest of my questions for the spoiler.
So, if the plot and screenplay are tenuous, can the acting compensate? Well, this is a huge load for John Cusack to bear nearly alone. The bulk of the film is 60 minutes of him alone in an evil hotel room bent on trying to make him 'check out'—figuratively—from the hotel as it has apparently been successful with 56 or so other guests. Not that Mr. Cusack's not up to the challenge, but this is a huge challenge to overcome. He actually comes pretty close to succeeding. For most of the 60 minutes he's believable. There are a few cracks in the veneer. It's got to get a bit dreadful and monotonous, just as it does for the character, to be put through just about every form of fear-based torture from baking, to freezing, to crawling through small spaces with bugs, to walking a 6-inch ledge 13 stories above ground, to nearly drowning, to watching a loved one explode into ash, to nearly being burned up alive. As an actor, one might think he might have said at some point, "Hmm, where's all this leading?" Samuel L. Jackson's role is slight, but he makes a commanding point with it. At first, his cadence of dialog is a bit awkward and overly dramatic, but eventually, he really does a brilliant job with this small role. As for any of the other actors, their combined screen time has to be less than 10 minutes, and barely worth mentioning. At the core, this is 60+ minutes of John Cusack's character battling his own psychological issues, and he does a $12-12.75 job.
The special effects are good, nothing that spectacular. The music was ok, nothing that creepy. The direction by Mikael Håfström was methodical, not spectacular. So, with a plot and ending that belong in $4.75 to $6 range and a Cusack performance in the $12-$12.75 range, how does that balance out for the film? Sometimes the number do add up, and the result is about a $9. Of course, Michael Enslin has his own scale, called the Shiver Scale that's 1-10 shivers. I'd have to give it about a 3 out of 10 on the shiver scale as, honestly, it wasn't that scary. Honestly, yes, I'd rather see a sequel to Identity. (click here for the spoiler)
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Other Projects Featuring 1408 (2007)
Cast Members
John Cusack
• Samuel L. Jackson • Mary McCormackJasmine Jessica Anthony
• Tony ShalhoubDirector
Mikael Håfström
Writer
Matt Greenberg
• Scott Alexander • Larry Karaszewski| CD Soundtrack | DVD | VHS |
| Short Story |
1408 (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Failing to live up to the hype, 1408 takes us down a déjà vu filled road we've been down before starring John Cusack as a paranormal debunking pulp novelist with a sad heart due to the loss of his daughter to some disease. Some unnamed soul guides his to a stay in room 1408 where few guests have lasted more than an hour ending up either dead or checked out. The frustrating derivative, recycled plot takes us nowhere new and ends without much ado. Try to talk yourself out of seeing this film and hope for a sequel, believe it or not, to Identity instead.
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