Consequently, he no longer allows anyone to stay in it. It seems, Olin explains, that over 50 people have died in that room, many by their own hand, and no one who enters it lasts for more than an hour.

He tries to book a night there, only to be stonewalled by the hotel manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. As he works on his newest book, Enslin receives a postcard tipping him off to perhaps the most haunted place imaginable: room 1408 of New York’s Dolphin Hotel. John Cusack stars as Mike Enslin, a guy who writes books about haunted places he’s visited. 1408 is the first genuinely scary movie I’ve seen since The Ring, and it restores my faith in Hollywood’s ability to make artful horror. This tale about a haunted hotel room is a welcome antidote to the torture porn flicks we’ve been queasily digesting recently. Then comes something like 1408 (based on a Stephen King short story), which is like a refresher course in how to build and sustain suspense. I often wonder what happened to the art of actually telling a scary story it sometimes feels like horror filmmakers aren’t interested in that anymore. These movies seem to exist for the sole purpose of showing people getting tortured or brutalized in increasingly gruesome ways. I like the genre, but I’ve been disgusted (physically and morally) by the current wave of “torture porn” pictures like Hostel and the Saw series. But in its execution, 1408 is far more indebted to classic horror films such as the original 1963 version of THE HAUNTING.In the past few years, it feels like all I’ve done is complain about the state of the modern horror movie. Like THE SHINING, this is based on writing from horror master Stephen King, and it's a similarly creepy tale set in a hotel. A lot of the credit is due to the film's sound crew, whose detailed work goes far in giving 1408 its unsettling feeling. This is the second English-language film from director Mikael Hafstrom (DERAILED), and he does a good job of establishing tension. He's in practically every frame of the film, often alone, and he's great at making the audience share in his fear. No one has lasted more than an hour in 1408, and Mike has his work cut out for him.Though Cusack got his acting pedigree in comedies, he proves he's able to adeptly carry a horror film. Jackson, BLACK SNAKE MOAN), Mike resolves to stay in the haunted room. Despite the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Room 1408 has been the site of dozens of deaths, and this is a selling point for the skeptic in Mike. His stays in haunted hotels never shake him, but he's intrigued by New York's Dolphin Hotel. John Cusack (IDENTITY) plays Mike Enslin, a gifted writer who has turned his talents to paranormal travel books. Though it's far less gory than its peers, it has frightening moments and a creepy mood throughout. The PG-13 rating given to 1408 belies this film's truly terrifying effects on its audience.

Stephen king film 1408