1408
June. 22,2007 PG-13A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.
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Reviews
Thanks for the memories!
A lot of fun.
There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Well well well,for me this is one of the best philosophical stories I have watched on the screen, besides best performance for John Cusack in his whole history, I saw it as a person who entered the life we know, suffering, struggling, living in agony with few moments of joy and happiness, I changed see even when he think he is safe and OK and finds out he is not, he is still living his true life, every pain you can imagine is in this movie, prisoner, phobias, loss, isolation, death, and weaknesses, I know may be I can not explain what I c as good as u can figure it out when u watch the movie from this perspective, All respect to everyone involved in that movie, I gave it 9 just because the sound tracks could be better It's not an horror movie, it's something else from Stephen kings
If the ending of the movie disappoints you, I highly recommend to watch the ending of the alternate version (Theatrical Release / Director's Cut). It adds a lot to the movie and I personally prefer the ending of the Theatrical Release.
I'll never understand why so many people think that for a horror film to be "scary" or "good", it needs to have lots of blood, sex, gore and swearing. 1408, much like 2012's "Sinister" and 2001's "Session 9", relies less on cheap thrills and gimmicks and instead uses atmosphere to tell a story that's more sad than frightening, a perfect portrayal of a man going through the stages of deep grief in a hotel room feeding off his own bad memories and sadistically waving them in front of him. Set in beautiful New York City, it follows the obnoxiously cynical yet strangely likable Mike Enslin, a writer of cheap supernatural fodder who doesn't actually believe a single thing he publishes. He takes great pride in mocking and debunking the beliefs of his readers, even advising a young man to visit Disney World's Haunted Mansion in Orlando if he's looking for "real ghosts". Worse than that he mocks those who rely on ghost stories to keep their businesses open, including Mr. Olin, the manager of the Dolphin Hotel who actually wishes the owners of the building would simply shut the room down. He's a decent guy and he feels responsible in a way for the room's many atrocities, but he's simply unable to sway Mike from worming his way in and getting 1408 all to himself for the night.This is a truly remarkable, criminally underrated film. It's not as massive and epic as "The Shining", yet it manages to convey something really unsettling throughout, whether it's a deceased corpse of a sewing machine salesman in an air duct, two parents losing their young daughter to cancer or the notion that not believing in something will only make it stronger. It's not showy or pretentious or cheesy, it's just a good, clean ghost story reminiscent of old classics in every respect. You never know what will happen next but Mike is so flawed that it makes him all the more human and honest as a protagonist in a story that seems to be eating him alive.
In 1408, John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, an investigative journalist and author, who stays in and writes about haunted places. He considers himself a seasoned investigator and hardened skeptic, who does not believe in the existence of the paranormal.However, one day, while leafing through fan mail, he comes across an ominous postcard from The Dolphin Hotel. It has a simple message scrawled on the back: "Do Not Enter 1408.He considers this a challenge, and immediately uses his publisher's clout to book the room, despite objections from the hotel manager (played by Samuel L Jackson).Upon his arrival, the manager does whatever he can to convince Enslin not to stay in the room: he tells him how 56 deaths have occurred within it's walls- with 22 being qualified as natural deaths that went unreported in papers. While others- none of whom have managed to make it longer than an hour- have either gone insane or engaged in self mutilation. Most, however, simply commit suicide.Blinded by pride and ego, he decides to ignore these foreboding warnings, and stay in the room anyways. But he could not fathom what it would have in store for him...And what follows is an anxiety driven, (Vincenzo) Natali-esque, attempt to escape from his Kafkan nightmare- that blurs the boundaries between what is literal and psychological.Content matter aside, I found this film to be pretty basic and straightforward. A sort of Hollywood brand of psychological horror, if you will- not too complex or challenging. Håfström does throw an awkward twist in there, but it only seemed to draw the film out for another half an hour or so- without changing the direction I felt it was heading in anyways. That being said, the film's most redeeming quality is probably the special effects, utilized to portray the paranormal aspect of the room. But, overall, I left feeling that it was lacking in the depth and context departments.As far as psychological horrors go...this one is pretty "meh". I'd take a Vincenzo Natali flick over this any day of the week.4.5 out of 10.