Rating of
3/4
One Hell of a Room
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/14/07
This film is carried by John Cusack, who is pretty much acting alone for at least half the movie. He does a good job portraying a man who is trying to stay rational while suffering through a nightmarish turn of events. As time goes by, you can see him losing his grip on reality and he makes it look pretty convincing.
As a straight horror film, 1408 doesn't quite get the job done. There are a bunch of those "gotcha" moments - either sound or images - that made me jump and there is an overall aura of creepiness, but there are a few too many flashbacks that seem to break completely. I think they could have done away with the whole daughter subplot completely and still had an effective film.
I also can't help but compare it to the short story. 1408 is one of my favorite Stephen King stories - the first time I read it, it gave me the creeps and that lasted all night. The film does a lot with the material - keeps in a lot of the elements I like and expands on a few things that I wouldn't have though (I especially like the possessed computer bit thrown in). I still think the original story wins out for being more unnerving, but the film, unlike so many other King adaptations, does a respectable job of living up to the material.
I can't say this is my favorite horror film, but I can say that there are some truly frightening moments and overall it's well done and leaves you feeling a little rattled.
