1408 (**½)
Director: Mikael Håfström (Derailed (Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston))
Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson
Seen: February 13th 2008
**½ Out of ****
Being the first Stephen King novel to be made into a big screen film since 2004, I was expecting a story that will thrill and scare and at the same time have an emotional impact on me. I was not disappointed. There are still people who do not know of Stephen King’s big screen triumphs, most notably The Shawshank Redemption, undoubtedly one of the best films ever made. His credits also include The Secret Window, Hearts in Atlantis, The Green Mile, Apt Pupil, and a handful more horrors and thrillers.
Back to this one. Stephen King and John Cusack are giving us a man broken by the loss of his child, now writing books on the supernatural, usually debunking the myth in the book. He is adamant to prove that stories surrounding haunted homes and hotel rooms are all myths, and he has done so with many other roadside attractions and hotel rooms.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Gerald Olin, the manager of the hotel, The Dolphin. As it happens, Enslin (Cusack) heard about the reportedly haunted room in this hotel, room 1408. And he wants to get in. Olin won’t let him, proclaiming that the room is evil on more than one occasion. After a brief power struggle and the use of the Fair Housing Act, Enslin gets what he wants, and is booked into the room.
For an hour, nothing happens (luckily not in real-time), but then things start looking suspect – is this merely another booby-trapped room with alarm clocks going of and the thermostat malfunctioning to prey on gullible people? It seems not, as increasingly bizarre things starts happening after Enslin tries to get out of the room, but his key breaks in the door and he is trapped.
Through the rest of the film things pile up and the level of suspense rises as Enslin tries to escape his room, and the film is filled with some smart devices to keep the story going, a nod to Stephen King for this. Enslin even gets to meet his deceased daughter, who we learn about through flashbacks, and this brings about a tender moment as father and daughter reunite.
After some clever twists and turns the movie reaches its conclusion, and ends on a chilling note as Mike plays back what he recorded on his mini cassette recorder. A delicious little thriller, in which Cusack once again displays his knack for choosing his roles.
Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson
Seen: February 13th 2008
**½ Out of ****
Being the first Stephen King novel to be made into a big screen film since 2004, I was expecting a story that will thrill and scare and at the same time have an emotional impact on me. I was not disappointed. There are still people who do not know of Stephen King’s big screen triumphs, most notably The Shawshank Redemption, undoubtedly one of the best films ever made. His credits also include The Secret Window, Hearts in Atlantis, The Green Mile, Apt Pupil, and a handful more horrors and thrillers.
Back to this one. Stephen King and John Cusack are giving us a man broken by the loss of his child, now writing books on the supernatural, usually debunking the myth in the book. He is adamant to prove that stories surrounding haunted homes and hotel rooms are all myths, and he has done so with many other roadside attractions and hotel rooms.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Gerald Olin, the manager of the hotel, The Dolphin. As it happens, Enslin (Cusack) heard about the reportedly haunted room in this hotel, room 1408. And he wants to get in. Olin won’t let him, proclaiming that the room is evil on more than one occasion. After a brief power struggle and the use of the Fair Housing Act, Enslin gets what he wants, and is booked into the room.
For an hour, nothing happens (luckily not in real-time), but then things start looking suspect – is this merely another booby-trapped room with alarm clocks going of and the thermostat malfunctioning to prey on gullible people? It seems not, as increasingly bizarre things starts happening after Enslin tries to get out of the room, but his key breaks in the door and he is trapped.
Through the rest of the film things pile up and the level of suspense rises as Enslin tries to escape his room, and the film is filled with some smart devices to keep the story going, a nod to Stephen King for this. Enslin even gets to meet his deceased daughter, who we learn about through flashbacks, and this brings about a tender moment as father and daughter reunite.
After some clever twists and turns the movie reaches its conclusion, and ends on a chilling note as Mike plays back what he recorded on his mini cassette recorder. A delicious little thriller, in which Cusack once again displays his knack for choosing his roles.
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