1408 is Lackluster Fare

1408 turned out to nothing like what I expected. All the promotions played it up to be a real spooky film and coming from the work of Stephen King, why would you doubt it? I saw no reason going into the theater. By the end, when I awoke, I could think of no good reason why I ever went into the theater! What a borefest!

Starring John Cusak, 1408 focuses on one supposedly haunted room in the upscale Dolphin Hotel, managed by none other than Samuel L. Jackson. Cusak's character Michael Enslin is an author of paranormal phenomenon and man of lost faith, obsessed with debunking the paranormal ever since the death of his young daughter. He travels the country visiting haunted locations in order to rate them, but mostly discredit them. Next on his list is the Dolphin's 1408, a room filled with mystery and naturally off limits to guests.

The hotel manager (Jackson) is aware that Enslin is coming and greets him upon his arrival. After exchanging pleasantries, he does his best to persuade Enslin to stay out of 1408, but ultimately to no avail. We come to find out that a crap ton of people have ended up dead in the room and no one has lasted more than one hour behind its door. Enslin, unconvinced and certainly not spooked manages to get the key and find himself quickly within the walls of the room. Soon enough odd things begin to happen but Enslin remains skeptical, dutifully recording notes into his tape recorder. Eventually things get really crazy and he is genuinely freaked (apparently trapped in the room). His ordeal culminated with an encounter with his dead daughter before he escapes the room. No shock there.

Unlike most horror and suspense films coming out these days, 1408 is an introspective work that attempts to scare the audience by letting their own imaginations do the work. For that I do give it credit, its a commendable effort in an era of flashy movie making. While the movie does its best to create an uneasy ambiance in order to create its spooky moments, I'll be honest and tell you that it came across as nothing more than a bore to me. In fact, I faded in and out of consciousness. Yes, I fell asleep. It simply couldn't hold my interest and it was anything but scary, mostly just a slow paced psychological piece. Even so, at the few points where it tried for the cheap scare, I didn't even flinch. I was able to slumber in relative peace.

When the credits finally rolled I thought that perhaps I was the only one who found it be a complete waste of time, but nearly everyone in the theater complained as they walked out. No sir, I was not alone in my assessment - 1408 pretty much sucked.

Cusak did fine in his role; I had no problems with his performance. However, it was Samual L. Jackson with his limited screen time that was the most fun to watch. You could tell that he enjoyed his supporting role and, wouldn't you know, he delivered the best line of the film. So I guess if you're a huge John Cusak fan or for some reason absolutely must watch every film in Jackson's filmography, then see 1408. Otherwise don't bother. 3/10