Evil Dead meets The Shining

Rating: 7/10 (25 June 2007)

Mike Enslin played by John Cusack is a man searching for a hope of an after life. The desperation comes from the death of his daughter, which sends him on a endless quest for closure. Along side Cusack, the film credits Samuel L. Jackson as Gerald Olin the foreboding Dolphin Hotel manager and a small bit role by Monk's Tony Shalhoub.
Much to my satisfaction this film actually made me jump a few times. However, the scare factor does not lie in cheap thrills, although I must say that I was put off a few times by one to many scare tactics, but granted a horror film must have necessary evils. The aspect that sets this movie a part from recent attempts a decent horror film is the imagination. Now a days screen writers use reality to their advantage where as Director Mikael Håfström is not afraid to use his imagination.
I don't think this film would have worked had it not been for Cusack. Even though his older age is starting to show, he still has a sinister presence on screen. As much as I wanted to not like this film, Cusack brought me back in every time. I also though Jackson did a fare job with what he was given. Perhaps a little too Samuel L. Jackson and not enough hotel manager, but what can you expect. I thought the daughter Katie played by an up and comer Jasmine Jessica Anthony added an unsettling element that brought Cusack to his knees.
Biased on a short story by Steven King, this film gave a new hope to a genre that seemed to be loosing itself to the mainstream. Would it have not been as good had Kings name not been on it, or Cusack playing an erratic atheist? Perhaps not, but that just goes to show good casting can save a less then perfect script. All in all, the best way to describe it is Evil Dead meets The Shining, and if you're a fan of either of those, I believe you'll get your money's worth with 1408.