As creepfests go, 1408 is right up there with The Shining, also inspired by a Stephen King work and featuring a menacing hotel and the wobbly sanity of a writer lodging there. "It's an evil [bleep]-ing room!" intones Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the smooth but vaguely sinister manager of the Dolphin Hotel. John Cusack is stellar as Mike Enslin, a cynical Everyschlub who writes "occult travel guides," but believes in nothing, especially anything resembling an afterlife.

Lucky 13

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a travel writer who specializes in haunted locations. When he discovers the Dolphin Hotel has a room responsible for numerous fatalities he can't resist the challenge of spending the night. The hotel manager, Mr. Olin (Samuel Jackson) tries to talk him out of it, literally begs him to forego the night's stay but Enslin won't hear of it. Enslin may write about the paranormal, but he doesn't actually believe in it. Needless to say, room 1408 will change all of that. Things start slow and then get progressively nasty as the room torments him relentlessly.

John Cusack gives an excellent performance as burned out Mike Enslin. As we learn more about his past involving the death of his child and his failed marriage, Cusack does a great job of conveying the emotions of his shattered character. Samuel Jackson is also strong as Olin. He's strong, poised, and believable as an upscale hotel manager. The two actors also work well onscreen together. In some ways, the highlight of the movie is early on when they go head-to-head in Olin's office.

Like any good horror movie, things start off slow and then the tension starts to build. There are plenty of creepy happenings, some "gotcha" jump moments, and the underlying story is more than interesting. The ending is fairly inventive and satisfying.

My criteria for a horror film are simple. If I feel plenty of tension from the suspense of what will happen next and it doesn't completely gross me out with gore, then it's a winner. In this case, the tension is definitely there, the gore is almost nonexistent, and the characters are far more compelling than we normally see in horror movies.

Great film, one of the best Stephen King adaptations.

Stephen King is a good writer, not a great one if I'm truthful with my opinion, and I really enjoyed this latest adaptations of one of his works (a short story this one).

Althogh it lacked excess gore, violence and gratuituous sex, I thorougly enjoyed seeing John Cusack decent into madness, and have to admit was quite touched by his dilemma at times.

Great effect, a few shocks and a good story, all in all an above-average horror and will be excellent at home with the surround sound pumping.

John Cusack scared senseless

The movie starts with a rainy night, and I was slightly upset that John Cusack didn't have a boombox over his head. Ignoring that, Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a writer of books about haunted houses, inns, and amusement parks (I made that last part up for Scooby Doo fans). Enslin gets a barrage of brochures, letters, and emails from people who want him to feature their own haunting. Every single time Enslin goes in, the haunting is bogus, and the owners get their free publicity in the new Enslin book. This all changes with one notification...

Samuel L. Jackson plays a dignified manager at an upscale, posh hotel in New York that just happens to have the most haunted room in history. Room 1408 has had 56 deaths to date, and despite the room's reputation, the hotel is very expensive and busy. Ignoring that perplexing contradiction, Samuel L. Jackson delivers as he always does, and keeps his career-long streak of dropping the F-bomb alive.

What transpires is a reversal of Enslin's cynicism and doubt, as he realizes that all the previous debunking he has done at other rooms doesn't help him at all in 1408. It's basically a hotel room taking on a life of its own - think Event Horizon on the 14th floor - and doing everything possible to scare Enslin senseless, and possibly lead to his death.