1408 Exceeds High Expectations

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2007)

Admittedly, I had very high expectations for this film - something that I rarely have for horror films - because of a few reasons. For one, a cast that includes John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson (even if for a few brief scenes) certainly yields grand results. For another, I've always found that thrillers which take place in urban landscapes are always much scarier. In the horror films that take place in the country, there is always a sense of isolation. But if a film taking place in a city can create that same isolation, even around millions of people, that really adds a lot of eeriness to a film.
Still, I had my reservations - even with the superb lineup and the lugubrious cityscape, there is always the chance for a flop. And the effects of a flop would be monstrous - two of my favorite actors and a setting I find to be truly frightening would be wounded. Jackson would have to star in "Snakes on a Rowboat", Cusack would have to make another flick where he's a chain-smoking, obsessive-compulsive record store owner, and someone would need to make another Ring movie just to reconcile all the damage that could have been done.
I digress.
Luckily, the film didn't disappoint - Cusack wonderfully did what he does best: freak out, and Jackson was foreboding and successfully laid down the storyboard for the events that would unfold. And yes, the beloved, lonely city landscape prevailed; going even beyond simply being a background, 1408 employed this setting as even another character, becoming a world that Cusack desperately wanted to make contact with - a goal that he could set himself on accomplishing.
Adding to the plot were some psychological scares - such as the overwhelming presence of death within the room - including murders and suicides that hang around in the back of the viewer's mind, as well as appear on the screen to torment Cusack; will their fates be the same? For the majority of the film, the audience is inclined to believe that they will not, that somehow, Cusack will avoid death and escape the "Kafka-esque" room with a story to tell and a lesson learned. But as his hour within the hotel room progresses, so does our sinking feeling that he will not escape alive (or dead) and that he shall be doomed to haunt the place, to stalk the bedroom and the bathroom and the living room a spirit, a mere apparition, a poltergeist imprisoned by his own poor decision.
"1408" exceeded my expectations by making full use of everything they could use. The acting was excellent, the writing and direction were superb, and the music and setting act not only as a backdrop, but as tools to build the morose mood of the room.