A Strong Adaptation of a Stephen King Short Story

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2009)

It's been a good while since I've read the short story 1408 was based on, but I don't remember it being more than a few pages. Yet, the writers were able to adapt the minor amount of source material into a surprisingly effective PG-13 thriller. In the film, a disillusioned author who researches haunted locations for his book series decides to spend a night in the Dolphin Hotel's haunted room #1408, where fifty-six visitors had died of various strange circumstances. The film hits a few speed bumps but manages to be a thoroughly entertaining supernatural thriller.
It's seems to be a widely recognized notion that films based on the works of Stephen King are hit (THE GREEN MILE) or miss (DREAMCATCHER). 1408 is a hit; it's a thriller that doesn't rely on gore effects or slasher techniques to create tension. There are a handful of cheap "boo" moments but they aren't overused. The film stars John Cusack as Mike Enslin, the main character tormented by the room's evil, and the majority of the film is Cusack alone. Cusack's a great actor and, despite rarely having anyone to work off of other than his pocket recorder, does an awesome job. The film also boasts the ever-cool Samuel L. Jackson as Gerald Olin, the Dolphin's manager who does his best to warn Cusack to no avail.
The film starts strong and the first hour keeps the pace, baiting Cusack and the audience along with increasingly strange occurrences. Towards the end of the second act, the film grinds to a crawl with psych-out that goes on a bit too long and caused me to lose interest while I waited for the next big development in the story. Thankfully, it picks up in time for a decent conclusion (I personally prefer the theatrical ending over the director's cut). 1408 is entertaining spin on the usual "haunted house" motif and, despite it's PG-13 rating, delivers the tension and creep-outs to create a fun thriller.