Stephen King's 1408 Now on DVD
John Cusack Excels in Unsettling Horror Film
In 1408, Cusack plays a disbelieving writer who is forced to believe in paranormal activity after visiting a one-of-a-kind hotel room.
Mike Enslin (Cusack) has lost his only daughter to illness, lost his wife to his inability to cope, and lost his faith in everything – including himself. Once a talented and idealistic novelist, he has since become the writer of a series of unpopular books on haunted lighthouses, haunted hotels, and other places seeking to cash in on supposed paranormal activity. He says that nothing would make him happier than actually seeing the white light of a poltergeist (thus giving him hope for his daughter’s afterlife).
Be Careful What You Wish For
We all know to be careful what we wish for because our wishes might come true. That’s exactly what happens to Mike when he receives a mysterious postcard at his California post office box warning him not to go to room 1408 of New York’s Dolphin Hotel. Immediately intrigued, he bulldozes his way into the room despite the ominous warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson). Once inside the room, he finds himself trapped with every dark image, personal demon, and insecurity that ever crossed his mind – plus a few extra horrors compliments of the possessed hotel room that encourages his “express check out.”
While the hotel aspects of this Stephen King story may remind some viewers of his 1980 horror classic The Shining, the film also shares many elements with the 2004 thriller Secret Window, also based on one of King’s short stories. As in Secret Window, a writer estranged from his wife is confronted with horrifying events that make him doubt his sanity. Both movies also share unsettling images of mirrors, doors, windows, bathrooms, and hand-scrawled messages on walls.
The elaborate special effects go over the top sometimes and may be written off as hallucinations, but it’s the smaller, subtler disturbances that give this film its creepy intensity. Never before have chocolates on the pillow, a hotel bible, or a bedside clock presented such problems for a hotel guest.
The Perfect Vehicle for Cusack
Alternately terrifying and amusing, 1408 provides the perfect vehicle for Cusack, who performs with just the right blend of cockiness and vulnerability. He completely embraces his character’s disillusionment with life since his personal tragedy. We can clearly see his growing terror in the face of an escalating supernatural assault, while he simultaneously struggles to retain his inner skeptic. His estranged wife (Mary McCormack) comes across as loving and sympathetic, despite Mike’s sudden disappearance from her life.
As the hotel manager, Jackson makes the most of his supporting role; his warnings about room 1408 are sufficiently menacing to discourage anyone – other than Mike Enslin, of course. Mike’s New York publisher (Tony Shalhoub) adds brief comic relief as a two-faced yes-man (but not without some sensitivity) willing to say almost anything to meet his next deadline.
The DVD features (on the Blockbuster exclusive rental) include two alternate endings (neither of which is as creepy as the theatrical version that was ultimately selected), the theatrical trailer, and two brief featurettes “John Cusack on 1408” (the actors talks about his character) and “Inside Room 1408” (a quick look at the special effects).
- 1408
- Director: Mikael Hafstrom
- Run time: 104 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (disturbing sequences of terror and violence, frightening images and language)
For more information about horror films, read Shadow of the Vampire and Production Highlights From The Eye.
