So much potential gone to waste and still too long...

Rating: 6/10 (13 September 2007)

John Cusack plays a paranormal investigator tired of having to visit the fakes and hoaxes and who is cynical about new invitations to 'real' haunted places. He is intrigued by the stories of a haunted hotel room in the Dolphin in New York and decides to investigate.
So far, the plot moves along nicely his return to the city where he used to live with his now ex and now deceased daughter opens up a lot of possibilities in the plot. Unfortunately this is hardly addressed outside of the hotel room, making the subject somewhat forced once it does come into play. Still, Cusack plays the grieving father quite well in my opinion.
*spoilers ahead* Samuel L. Jackson is only in the way of the story. Cusack's publisher says the hotel manager cannot legally refuse him the room, but Cusack never has to use this option. Manager Jackson refused anyone to use the room for several years, yet Cusack talks him into in under five minutes.
From the moment Cusack's character enters the room, his credibility starts to disappear. Every second longer that he lasts, he becomes less coherent. He hints at hallucinogens in his drink or food, but this is never confirmed, making his behavior unrealistic, especially for the cynic he supposedly is.
This is what happens throughout the movie: A lot of elements are introduced and some are used once or twice, but so many of them are then left for new ones, as if the script cannot choose any one in particular. The plot tumbles from one disconnected element into the other and since many are both predictable and not scary, it never really builds up towards anything.
For such a long movie, this could have been so much more. The story seems incomplete and rather dull, especially compared to the trailer.
6 out of 10, for its unused potential and for Cusack's good acting almost making his character believable.