By Scott Bowles, USA TODAYTerror, for Stephen King, must be wondering what will happen to his stories once they make it to the big screen; he once vowed never to direct again for fear it would come out looking like Maximum Overdrive.
But he has no need to worry this time around in 1408, a faithful and creepy adaptation of his 2002 short story.
At his best, King's most effective creatures are not the ones behind creaking doors, but inside crooked minds. And director Mikael Håfström (Derailed) takes the principle to heart in this story about Mike Enslin, a hack author (John Cusack) who doesn't believe in ghosts but makes a healthy living rating haunted hotels.
Enslin changes his tune when he checks into room 1408 of Manhattan's Dolphin Hotel. Enslin learns from the dapper but cryptic hotel manager (Samuel Jackson) that 56 people have died after checking into that very suite. Somehow, business is still brisk; perhaps the health inspector was off those days.
Enslin is unmoved, though, and checks in, determined to prove the ghosts are a hoax.
1408 employs some of the standard haunted-house conventions: Floors groan, apparitions appear in windows, the electricity is shot. Oh, and the walls bleed. King must have had a nasty wallpapering experience as a younger man.
What elevates the film are its two primary characters, Cusack and the room.
Much of 1408 is the actor alone in the suite, a role that could have drawn a perfunctory dubious-to-terrified turn. But Cusack's performance slowly reveals a man trying to exorcise his own demons by debunking others.
And while it isn't The Shining's Overlook Hotel, Room 1408 has some sinister amenities that might have pleased Stanley Kubrick, particularly a scene in which the suite freezes over into a blue-hued icebox. The rooms are small enough to feel claustrophobic and appointed with the kind of clawfoot tubs and antiques that would have most guests demanding an upgrade.
Even the clock radio is creepy. You won't listen to The Carpenters' We've Only Just Begun the same way again.
1408 loses a few chills when Håfström goes effects-happy near the end. But it shouldn't be enough to scare away audiences looking for something other than the assembly-line slice-and-dice horror films of late. Just stay away from the room service.
1 comment:
Excerpt from AICN,
"I hope I'm wrong, but 1408 is almost too smart for mainstream audiences. Most of the crowd with whom I saw this film was restless early, and the film is barely 90 minutes long. This is a tense and thrilling art film disguised as a scare movie. It's a psychological profile of a tortured artist dealing unsuccessfully with grief. Swedish director Mikael Hafstrom (DERAILED) has crafted a near-perfect character study and Cusack makes it look easy. He's not afraid to look tired and older than we've seen him look before. This is not the typical man-ish boy that he's played in the past (and even recently). He's a grown man with a grown man's troubles. That doesn't mean he doesn't have fun with the role, especially early on when we see him visit one of many haunted hotels. But when it's time to rip out his heart with a chainsaw and crowbar, he doesn't flinch. 1408 is a smart, stylish, and gripping drama encased in horror show wrapping that works on both levels. The movie dares to have an artistry about it, while not forgetting to be entertaining and poignant."
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