No one lasts more than an hour

Rating: 8/10 (23 June 2007)

Based on the short Stephen King horror story of the same name, 1408 surrounds supernatural writer Mike Enslin, an author of two hit books focusing on supernatural phenomena. As research for his latest book, Enslin is determined to check out the notorious room 1408 in a New York City hotel by personally staying as a guest in the fabled room. With the intention that 1408 is just a myth perpetuated by stories and rumor that Enslin has collected for his past works. However, hotel manager Mr. Olin has strong objections to Enslin's stay and only warns him of possible danger to come. But Enslin is determined to go through and convinced that the horrific past of 1408 is just mere coincidence and a myth. But what Mike Enslin is about to experience is no myth, as 1408 truly is a room where the guests don't lasts more than an hour.
When I was watching the trailer of the film, I was so excited because it looked so intense and thrilling. Then it turned out to be PG-13, which got me disappointed. Well, a PG-13 horror film with an intense trailer must be great, right? Right. It's rare for me to like a horror film or a PG-13 horror film. There are so many torture porn released these days that this film saved the day.
It's more like a psychological thriller rather than a horror, in the vein of The Twilight Zone and The Sixth Sense. Instead of buckets or gore and guts, this film is rather creepy and unsettling with it's classic scares and great sound work. I mean, it's a loud, LOUD movie. I love the dark atmosphere and the claustrophobic feel of the film.
The look of the film is fantastic, with an 80s feel. This film is (although not as scary as I thought) scary and not many films can scare me. It's more suspense than scary. There is excellent writing throughout the film with solid performances mostly by John Cusack (not to mention Mary McCormack and Samuel L. Jackson). I love the creepy score and cinematography of the film.
This is a film that you wouldn't expect to go deep through the emotions. It's the fear of losing someone that makes this film good. It's rather heartbreaking. Mikael Håfström directed this film also directed Derailed (Well, I also liked that film) and is a fine film to add to his collection.
With great sound work, solid performances, and great writing, this is one of the few surprises this summer. You don't want to see another big budget action fest? Well, check in to room 1408 and enjoy the scare.