"1408" is a fantastic haunted-house movie in the spirit of "The Changeling" and the original "The Haunting"... Not to be missed!

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2012)

John Cusask stars in 2007's "1408", a haunted-house-esque thriller based upon a Stephen King story of the same name. I've been going through a severe addiction to haunted-house and ghost movies over the past few months, and I recently re-watched this film after having not seen it in about three years, and I have to say- this film holds up darn well, and is one of the finest modern ghost stories I've seen on film in some time. It follows in the great tradition of classics like "The Changeling" and the original "The Haunting", giving us a creepy film that also deeply explores a troubled character and what makes him tick.
Cusask stars as Mike Enslin, an author whom has made a career recently out of writing books where he ranks various supposedly-haunted locations around the country for supernatural enthusiasts. Though he makes it clear that he is a skeptic and doesn't really believe in what he writes about. One day, after receiving a postcard from the upscale New York City hotel The Dolphin, with a cryptic message warning him to avoid room 1408, he becomes curious, and despite the protests of the hotel's manager (Samuel L. Jackson), he is able to book a room for the night... What follows is a scary, insane and often thrilling journey into hell, as Enslin realizes that there are some truly evil forces at work in the room... And it will be a night which might cost Enslin his sanity... And perhaps his life.
Directed by Mikael Hafstrom ("Drowning Ghosts", "Shanhai"), and written by the writers of "Halloween H20" and "Ed Wood", this is a very stylish film. Hafstrom's camera-work is kinetic and vibrant and it's very beautiful to behold, and the writing is very witty and intriguing. The script is also smart in that it really delves into what makes Enslin tick as a character. And even though his story is simple and not particularly complex, it shows a lot of effort on the part of the writers to deliver to us an honest-to-god story and not just a CGI-filled extravaganza, so they get some serious points for creativity.
The acting is uniformly excellent. Cusack knocks his role out of the park (proving again his great range and realism), and supporting characters played by Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack and Tony Shalhoub are marvelous. Broadway legend Len Cariou even has a few cameo appearances that make good use of his talent.
As a horror film, this movie does work very well. While it doesn't quite have the creep factor of the classics (mainly because it moves very quickly, and is a bit more in-your-face), it's still an extremely suspenseful film, and it does deliver some solid scares. It's eerie at times, and has a lot of roller-coaster moments. The best way to describe this movie is this- it's not terrifying, but it is pretty darned scary!
"1408", while not perfect, is a great haunted-house style film. It has a lot of mystery, a lot of scares and thrills, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat! I give it a great 9 out of 10. (Just be warned, the Blu-Ray version of the film has a different ending than the theatrical cut, for some reason. Although the original ending is in the special features.)