Let's Pretend There's No Room 1408 and No Thirteeth Floor
Written: Jul 09 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Terrifying, great acting, great imagination and special effects
Cons: Some parts a little cheesy, not sure about ending
The Bottom Line: If you enjoy really scary movies, go see 1408!
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| lyoness913's Full Review: 1408 |
I just want to start by saying that I haven’t seen a movie so creepy in a very long time. I’ve read review after review of 1408 by Epinionators as well as by critics, but I still wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Despite some cheesy lines and an ending that in my opinion was uncharacteristic for the film, 1408 kept my butt on the edge on its seat and my hands in a state of involuntary spasms. If you enjoy psychological horror movies and if you want a startling scare, go see 1408 and get ready to be thoroughly spooked.
In a nightmare that only Stephen King could create, we are introduced to Mike Enslin (John Cusack), who in my opinion generally does a very nice job with any roll he is involved with. Mike is a writer and his area of expertise consists of hauntings and ghosts. He travels to different ‘haunted hotels’ and then writes about them, although he does not believe in poltergeists or ghosts of any kind. His life is dull and uneventful, and the audience is quickly privy to the fact that he used to live in New York and something while he was there went terribly wrong.
One day he receives a card from the Dolphin Hotel in New York City. (He receives invitations daily to visit various haunted hotels and motels so that he would include them in his next book.) The advertisement says that no one can stay in room 1408. Of course, Mike takes this as a challenge and calls the hotel to make a reservation. He soon finds out that the advertisement is no joke. He cannot book room 1408 if his life depended on it. They just do not allow people to stay there. There have been numerous deaths in the room, some natural and some suicide. Mike finds out that there is some legal loophole that does not allow hotels to refuse to rent a room if it is vacant, so he makes his reservation at the Dolphin Hotel and excitedly travels to NYC to see what all of the fuss is about.
Once he arrives, the hotel manager (Samuel Jackson) does everything in his power to convince Mike not to stay in the room. Mike thinks that it’s a clever ploy to make him want to write more about the hotel and make it more famous, (hence, busier). Of course, Mike cannot be coerced into not staying in the room, and so his (and our) journey begins.
1408 isn’t so much filled with ghosts and unwelcoming entities. It becomes Mike’s deepest fears and brings to life his demons. We find out Mike walked out on his wife Lily (Mary McCormick). This was after their daughter Katie (Jasmine Jessica Anthony) died. Once Mike gets comfortable in the room, the clock sets itself to one hour (because no one has ever lasted more than an hour in the room), and his own personal horrors are unleashed.
Imagination is key as we watch Mike’s worst nightmares come to life. We realize there is no escape to this endless string of evil and terror. 1408 terrifies the audience in ways never imagined, and we squirm with each of Mike’s hallucinations (or are they??).
I will admit that there are some cheesy (and already done) situations in 1408. Mike’s little girl appears with the whole ‘Daddy, don’t you love me anymore,’ As Cusack goes on to say ‘You’re not real, you’re not real,’ we are reminded of the poor priest in The Exorcist struggling to come to terms with the fact that his muttering mother is actually a demon. However, for the most part 1408 was fresh and original, and I know it scared me senseless.
I think 1408 was extremely well done. I really don’t quite know if I ‘got’ the ending, but it made me feel like I was watching the last episode of Sopranos, because I over thought what the meaning and symbolism could possible be. Then again, maybe it was just a bad ending. 1408 combined horror by entwining it with the worst part of Mike Enslin’s life, and we all know that our worst nightmares are things that happen in reality. The movie was extremely suspenseful and the special effects were magnanimous. Cusack did a phenomenal job portraying countless emotions as room 1408 continued to torment him. 1408 is a movie that I will buy on DVD when it comes out, and watch whenever I feel like a good scare.
4 solid stars
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Scary Movie
Viewing Method: Studio Screening/Premiere
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Ending
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Epinions.com ID:
lyoness913
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Location: Overland Park, KS
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