The Haunted Hotel and the Skeptic

Rating: 6/10 (9 July 2016)

Leave it to Stephen King to write a short story about another haunted hotel. This time instead of Jack Torrance, we have paranormal writer Mike Enslin, a complete non-believer in the supernatural until he steps foot into the allegedly haunted Dolphin Hotel. Chaos soon unleashes itself on the writer when he dares to stay in the haunted room 1408 and Mike is soon made a believer in otherworldly phenomena.
Playing the key role of Mike Enslin is Chicago actor John Cusack. Cusack brings his trademark dry wit to the paranormal writer, but also is able to bring out the character's insecurities. Convincingly portraying a broken man who is at odds with those around him after a terrible tragedy prior to the film's events. His past mistakes come back to haunt him as he begins to be tormented by 1408's sinister atmosphere. Cusack keeps the overacting down until he finally lets loose in the film's grand finale as Mike Enslin sets out to end the curse of 1408 even at his own expense.
The movie's plot is relatively generic in the "haunted house" genre. There's the hotel manager (a subdued Samuel L. Jackson) who warns the skeptic of the haunted spot's danger zone to which the protagonist ignores the warning. Room 1408's haunting is pretty simple as it messes with the setting around Cusack's Enslin from unexplained noises to placing Enslin in some unknown setting or tormenting him psychologically with his past traumas. Ultimately in true Stephen King fashion, the hero is overcome by the evil force around them and consumed with stopping the horror from claiming more.
Not a perfect film, but there are enough scary moments to entertain the viewer.