Delightfully surreal and visually insane

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2007)

I expected pretty much nothing from this movie. Stephen King's book-to-movie adaptions have been hit (The Shining, Dreamcatcher) or miss (IT, Riding the Bullet) with me, and 1408 was never really my favorite story of his anyway. It was an eccentric, showy little tale that seemed to thrive on cheap thrills and insane, mind-boggling visuals rather than subtle horror, but it was fun for what it was. This movie is probably better than the story by a small margin, which is surprising. The reason for this is simple: Content. Being such a short story with characters that were not so fleshed out, Mikael Håfström had his work cut out for him making it into a full-fledged film. So he added some much-needed depth to it, giving Enslin a daughter and a wife, and adding some genuine tragedy to what would normally be a one-trick pony of a horror flick. The best scene in the entire movie was not even a part of the story (the scene where Cusack is holding his daughter, and she dies in his arms) which shows how well this one can stand on it's own.
Aside from that, the acting is all done extremely well, with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson giving outstanding performances, and all of the supporting cast doing a great job as well. The directing is great, too, with the special effects and visuals clashing with the extended plot-line for the front of the stage. The tidal wave scene is especially cool, as are all the little scares you get in between the beginning and the end. The melting phone, the never-ending wall, the air duct, the ax-wielding ghosts...and of course the inevitable daughter scene. Everything is just so damn over the top and tremendous that it seems like some sort of parody of the more subtle and dark 'haunted house' films, but it's not---this is just the refinement of the old style, and a more laid back one at that. Not nearly as serious as something like Amityville all the time, and it works surprisingly.
Speaking of the scares, that's another surprise. This movie is actually pretty creepy. You won't want to stay in any hotel rooms for a while after this. While similar to Psycho and The Shining in the setting, this one is definitely more spastic and insane in all departments, and watching it with the lights off will no doubt yield amplified scares. It veers back and forth in a half-crazy lurch, and you're left questioning your sanity as you watch poor Cusack struggling to keep up with this 'evil f***ing room.' This isn't a film that moves at a slow pace. It goes for the throat, and succeeds, taking you by the jugular for almost two hours and never once letting up. This is one of the most effective horror stories I've seen since Into the Mouth of Madness in terms of scares. In fact, this film reminds me a lot of that one. When they end, you're left dazed and confused, wondering what the hell you just saw. An admirable quality.
If there was one thing I had to pick at, it'd be how the new plot elements with Cusack's deceased daughter don't always quite blend as well as they want to with the actual story of 1408. It's a bit schizophrenic. One minute it's telling you an over the top and spastic ghost story, and pleasing you with it's crazy visuals, but the next, you're made to feel sorry for Cusack, and your spine is chilled by his agonized cries as his daughter turns to dust in his arms. And then it goes back to more of the same crazy, upbeat scares that you loved so much. It's not bad, and it still works, but I was left feeling slightly disjointed after it was all done. The ending was very good though, and this movie is a satisfying, aesthetically-pleasing cornucopia of horror, amusement park-esquire thrills, and even a bit of tragedy that you shouldn't miss. Highly recommended.