Hauntingly familiar

Rating: Null/10 (17 October 2007)

The good news: This is one of the better Stephen King adaptations. The bad news: The bar is set quite low.
John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a debunker of paranormal myths who spends a night in the infamous Room 1408 of New York's Dolphin Hotel after receiving a postcard warning him of the dangers. Samuel L. Jackson plays the hotel's manager, who recites the room's history of murder and suicide. Almost immediately after Mike checks in to 1408, strange things happen: The room becomes unbearably hot, then unbearably cold, Mike sees visions of the room's previous tenant-victims, and the radio won't stop playing the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun."
Cusack, an underrated actor who is usually better than his roles, does an admirable job as a tortured writer with a tragic past. Unfortunately, much of "1408" seems hauntingly familiar, repeating elements from King's "The Shining" and "The Dark Half" while lifting themes from "Jacob's Ladder" and even "Groundhog Day." The over-reliance on fake-looking CGI graphics distracts from Cusack's fine performance, and once again, we have a film with characters who may or may not be there.
"Yes," Mike says as he tape-records his ordeal, "I've been here before." We all have.