Film Review

09 January 2009 04:48 BST

1408

Directed by Michael Håfström, out at cinemas now, starring John Cusack, Samuel L Jackson, Mary McCormack, running time 94 minutes.

In a nutshell…

Ghostly, nerve-wracking horror adaptation

What's it all about?

The idea of a haunted hotel room is hardly a new addition to the Stephen King canon, but this glossy treatment of a short story first published in incomplete form in his On Writing memoir and later in the Everything's Eventual collection is different enough from The Shining that viewers won't feel the filmmakers are rehashing old King material.

Troubled writer Mike Enslin specialises in guides to reputedly haunted locations around America. Seeking a dramatic ending for his latest book, he checks into a notorious room in New York's Dolphin Hotel, brushing aside warnings that over 50 people have been killed or driven insane by the evil presence that reputedly haunts the suite.

As the evening wears on, he is forced to question his former scepticism as room 1408 attempts to drive him to breaking point. Even more frightening than the resident ghosts and the hammer wielding maniac who escapes from one of the room's paintings is a clock radio that won't stop playing The Carpenters – and that would certainly make this reviewer run screaming for the nearest Travelodge.

Who's in it?

John Cusack (Being John Malkovich, Pushing Tin) finds himself in the position of carrying the film for long periods of screen time, and while he can't compete with the gleefully psychotic Jack Nicholson in the earlier and more familiar King adaptation, it's enough of a sympathetic performance to keep the audience's attention.

Samuel L Jackson makes the most of his screen time as the hotel’s elegant and enigmatic manager, Gerald Olin. His taut watchfulness as he relays the stories of the room's previous victims is wonderfully acted; a verbal and psychological duel with the cynical writer that more than whets the appetite for the horrors to come. It should be obvious from the outset that Enslin is going to be in for a rough night. Any ghost brave enough to disturb a hotel managed by Jackson is going to be serious about the scare business.

As an example…

"No one's ever lasted more than an hour." - Manager Gerald Olin tries to persuade Enslin to stay out of room 1408.

"Hotel rooms are naturally creepy places, don’t you think? How many people slept in that bed before you? How many of them were sick? How many of them lost their minds? How many of them died?” - Enslin muses into his dictaphone as he settles into 1408.

"We came here to get the story, and we don't rattle, do we?" - Enslin tries to keep control as the malevolent spirit of the room begins to come to life.

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

Critical reception has been generally positive, but 1408 isn't likely to enter the annals of horror classics.

What the others say

"Dotted with genuine scares and boasting a refreshing absence of exploitational gore, it's a satisfyingly old-fashioned psychological horror." - Tristan Burke, Channel 4 film

"A fun gothic yarn that, like all good ghost stories, is simple and dripping with dread." - Nick De Semlyen, Empire magazine

So is it any good?

1408 is one of the better King adaptations – it delivers plenty of shocks without resorting to splatter, and while it never quite builds the level of psychological dread its aiming for, it contains more than enough scares to send your popcorn flying into the row in front.

The camerawork begins well, with dreamlike revolving shots thoughtfully underpinned by an atmospheric score by Gabriel Yared. The sense of menace builds as Enslin finds himself locked into the malevolent hotel suite; doors stand open in the background of shots as if silently daring Enslin and the audience to look behind them.

Though the last half hour descends into abject silliness, the film is generally well-paced and tightly plotted, and at 94 minutes its brevity is a welcome relief from some of the more bloated offerings at multiplexes this summer.

While it's probably viewed best as more a one-night stopover at the airport hotel than a long-term rental of the penthouse suite, 1408 is worth checking into.

6.5 /10

Rebecca Malings

Test your film knowledge and win...