«Catalogue of horror special effects»

Our protagonist goes in an hotel that has an haunted room (1408, at least it wasn't 666). At first the only horrific thing he notices is the hideous wallpaper. Then all usual ingredients show up.
Let's see...electric appliances going on of their own, check!Unsettling music, check! Scary ghosts, Check! Eerie unhearthly lights, check! Homicidal madman with ax, check! Walls spilling blood, check! Dead children appearing, check! Ghastly pictures on walls running wild, check! Zombies, check!Desperate fugue in labyrinth, check!
But... wait a moment! Didn't we see it all in Kubrick's Shining?
That's right. We saw it, and it was a masterpiece, contrary to this confused and confusing drivel.

[Sunday, November 30, 2008]

«(3.5 STARS) Above Average Stephen King Adaptation with John Cusack's Strong Acting»

The story is pretty simple. A man stays in a cursed room in a New York Hotel. The Dolphin Hotel's "Room 1408" is actually "an evil room," the hotel manager says, where more than 50 guests have committed suicide there (one drowned in his chicken soup). Ignoring the warning words of the manager, a jaded writer Mike Enslin checks in the room where he encounters a series of creepy events. Mike, who doesn't believe in these paranormal events, must endure the terrifying 60 minutes there.

Had it not been for John Cusack who plays the skeptic protagonist Mike, "1408" could have been an unwatchable mess. John Cusack and his strong acting successfully provide tension and occasional humor to the familiar story while the superb production designs and the photography of the dimly-lit interiors give the film an authentic feel. Samuel L. Jackson appears as the hotel manager Gerald Olin, but his role is just an extended cameo and the film is virtually about Cusack's hero and the room itself.

However, in spite of its gripping first half, the film gradually loses steam, not knowing where to go. Whatever the room does, the room does anyway, and there are not many options it can eventually take. The Carpenters song is a nice touch, but director Mikael Håfström takes too much time to lead us to the climax, and some of the tricks you will see are nothing new and sometimes look repetitious.

"1408," based on a Stephen King short, has familiar elements seen in numerous haunted house stories (in book or film) of the past, most notably, "The Shining" - both stories centering on isolated space, for example - but their approach is different. I enjoyed watching "1408" for the most part, but it is also true that I couldn't shake off the feeling that I saw it all elsewhere.

[Monday, November 24, 2008]

«A surprisingly good and atmospheric Stephen King adaptation»

I'd put off seeing 1408 for a while, namely based on the fact that PG-13 rated horror just doesn't do much for me. Not to mention that I can't remember the last Stephen King adaptation, except for The Mist, that was actually pretty good. Well, I'm happy to say I finally gave 1408 a chance, and walked away quite satisfied, especially by the longer director's cut of the film that takes up the second disc of this Two-Disc Collector's Edition. John Cusack stars as Mike Enslin, a jaded and somewhat haunted author who travels around to supposedly haunted places to debunk their myths. Upon hearing of the bloody history of the Dolphin Hotel's haunted room 1408, Mike ends up taking it on, despite the warnings of the hotel's manager (Samuel L. Jackson). Needless to say, Mike gets much more than he bargained for, and it isn't long before he starts becoming a believer. Directed with efficient dread and perfect pacing by Mikael Håfström, 1408 is carried by a spectacular performance from Cusack, and some truly scary moments to boot. And while the theatrical version of the film isn't bad, it's the director's cut with an alternate ending that really deserves your attention, making 1408 one of the better Stephen King adaptations to see the light of day in the past few years. All in all, if you're in the mood for some great suspense that actually will keep you guessing how it'll all end; 1408 is definitely worth a trip.

[Monday, November 17, 2008]

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