1408

Based on a Stephen King short story this film could be described as a cutdown version of  ‘The Shining’, where the horrors are confined to a single hotel room rather than the entire hotel.

The protagonist is Mike Enslin, a jaded and cynical writer of books about supposedly haunted buildings. He doesn’t believe in ghosts and so cannot resist the challenge of spending an hour in room 1408 which, according to hotel manager Samuel L Jackson, sends anyone in it crazy or to their death.

Given this build-up the horrors need to be impressive and inventive. But although the goings-on are well staged, and there are some effective moments, overall I felt that we were covering familiar horror tropes. 

Enslin himself is emotionally scarred even before he enters the room, by his relationship with his father, and more recently by the death of his young daughter. 

The former is only hinted at and is not developed, so I didn’t get why it was included at all.

The most effective moments are when the room tortures Enslin by showing him scenes of his past life with his wife and daughter, leading him to unravel psychologically. 

Enslin is played by John Cusack who commits fully to a demanding role (he is on-screen throughout).  For the film to carry an emotional punch we have to fully engage with his descent into madness and despair.  Although I have no specific criticism of Cusack’s performance, I never got as emotionally caught up in the story as I would have liked.

The ending is surprisingly upbeat given what has gone before: Enslin survives and even maybe resurrects his marriage, although to be frank I couldn’t really care much by this stage.

The director’s original ending, which I might have preferred, is much darker apparently, centred around Enslin’s funeral and then the complete destruction of room 1408.

RATING: x Find Something Better To Do