One Evil Room

Rating: 7/10 (5 October 2007)

Hollywood loves Stephen King. His work has seen numerous adaptations, mostly in the form of films and mini-series. Unfortunately, for every successful adaptation, we are subject to about ten poor ones. In thirty years his literature has gone through nearly 100 screen adaptations, only a fraction of which have been satisfactory. The dramas "Stand by me" and "The Shawshank Redemption" are widely considered to be the best adaptations of King's work. Genre filmmakers David Cronenberg and John Carpenter saw success with their film adaptations, as did masters Stanley Kubrick and Brian De Palma. Outside of those films, most of King's films have ranged from moderate to mediocre. "1408", based on a short story by King, is among the better works.
John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a once respected author who has been reduced to writing schlock for years. It's a role tailor made for Cusack, with all of his trademark wit and cynicism. Since falling into his slump, Enslin has made ends meet writing stuff like "10 Haunted Graveyards", and "10 Haunted Cemeteries". His latest work, entitled you guessed it "10 Haunted Hotels", has Mike traveling the country to investigate the most infamous haunted hotel rooms. Unfortunately for him, every room turns out to be an over-hyped disappointment. So when gets word about "1408", the haunted room in New York's luxurious "Dolphin Hotel", Enslin is immediately skeptical. Who cares that 56 people have died in that room over the years, rooms aren't haunted. Right? Like Mike, I was a bit skeptical going into "1408". How scary can a movie about a haunted hotel room be? Well, color me surprised. Director Mikael Hafstrom and his screenwriters have crafted a very effective thriller. What starts as a boring night in 1408 for Enslin, slowly becomes a nightmare of genuine terror and madness. Subtle creeps slowly escalate to a desperate fight to stay alive.
The movie owes a lot of its success to John Cusack, who is on screen for about 99% of the picture. His ability to identify with viewers while commanding the screen with his sharp performance is key to the success of "1408". That, combined with effective direction and smart screen writing, makes this a refreshing little thriller that doesn't rely on the over-the-top gore of most of today's horror.