1408 (2007)

Rating: 7/10 (9 March 2015)

A typical PG-13 horror movie consists of a bunch of dumb teenagers aimlessly running around in their film either trying (and failing) to solve some urban myth or being killed off in the least inventive ways possible. Of course you get the rare Insidious or The Ring, but for the most part, you'll end up with a movie like Ouija or One Missed Call. 1408, however, is the former. Based on Stephen King's creepy short story, 1408 is about an author named Mike Enslin (because it's not a King story if there's no author involved) who writes about haunted houses, graveyards, and the likes. He gets a mysterious letter in his mail one day that tells him "not to go to room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel". Viewing this as a challenge, Enslin, who's played flawlessly by John Cusack, finds this hotel and gains access to the forbidden room 1408.
The horror begins before Enslin even steps into the room. As he's pacing the halls of the 14th floor, he finds himself back at an empty open elevator, as if the hotel is telling Enslin not to go into the room. Slightly confused, he finds 1408 and walks inside. Mike's first five minutes in the room is rather boring. Nothing particularly supernatural happens until his clock all of the sudden starts playing "We've Only Just Begun", and a 60 minute timer begins counting down, in response to the hotel manager who says that no one has ever lasted more than an hour in the room. The movie then becomes an increasingly terrifying, non-stop haunted house (or, in this case, haunted hotel room) ride that relentlessly scares the audiences with a growing sense of dread and a very heavy atmosphere. 1408 doesn't scare us with what does pop out; it scares us with what might pop out. If you've ever seen Oculus, this movie is similar to that, only in a hotel room.
Being based on a very short story, the structure of this movie is extremely simple. 1408 is a one-man show, and John Cusack is the star. For three-quarters of the movie, it's just him in the room witnessing all these bizarre and scary events. This movie isn't cluttered with unnecessary backstories, side-characters, or plot twists. It's a simple and effective horror movie that leaves a lingering sting. 1408 may not be as ground-breaking as Carrie or The Shining, but this movie is definitely one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date.