genuinely chilling horror

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2010)

I don't tend to enjoy horror films, but 1408 was absolutely stunning. The plot was simple, but well-executed. John Cusack plays a writer who churns out populist 'haunted house' books which expose the myths and hearsay of hotel owners eager to pull the wool over tourists' eyes. He receives word that room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel has a blood-curdling past and is eager to stay in the room to prove that it is all made-up. He arrives at the hotel and the manager, played by Samuel L Jackson, does everything he can to talk him out of staying in 1408, but Cusack persists and gets his way. As Cusack is taken up to his floor by lift, the anticipation builds and Jackson offers one final warning, but his advice is rejected. Cusack checks into room 1408 and has no idea what is in store for him. At first glance, he is totally unimpressed and believes the room is just like any other. His cynicism lulls him into a false sense of security. Hereafter, the film really starts to get tense, as small oddities begin to occur and you get the sense that Cusack isn't alone in the room. Before long, Cusack himself grows concerned and his early swagger is replaced by mounting fear. The suspense of the film increases and increases, with Cusack coming under siege from numerous evil spirits and ghosts. He seeks in vain to escape the room, but to no avail, before a few red herrings indicate it was all a dream. He wakes up on a beach and is seemingly free from a vivid nightmare. Yet this is all an illusion and he finds that he never escaped. Ultimately, it becomes plain that he will never leave room 1408 and he goes out with a bang, destroying it in a haze of flames. There were so many genuinely chilling moments, that this has to rank as one of the best horrors for many years. It had echoes of the Shining. Definitely a film worth watching.