A writer who is used to staying in “haunted” places stays in the truly horrifying room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. At first he doesn’t believe in the evil of the room. But as the night goes on, he enters a world full of terror he has never experienced before.

The film is based on a short story by Stephen King and it sort of reminded me of The Shining but minus all my screaming. The movie is quite unique, with no unsettled spirits or monster out to get you. Instead it focuses on the haunting capabilities of a place itself. We are never told what turned the room into a death zone, but we are shown  examples of said deaths throughout the movie.

It was a different kind of scary compared to the others I’ve watched so far. It not only scared me but told me a story about a cynical man who has a sad past. John Cusack played said cynical man named Mike Enslin and he was amazing. He had me rooting for him from start to finish and his acting was always spot on.

Samuel L. Jackson, on the other hand, played the manager determined not to let Mike stay in the room because he knew of its powers. He played his usual calm and cool self while also setting me up for the horrors of the room. He never gave anything away and he left everything to the imagination. Although his warnings didn’t stop Mike anyway, he definitely left Mike, and me, a little scared.

Don’t let the drab and bland decorating of the room fool you, it doesn’t hold back. It did everything it could to make Mike repeat its deadly history. And since our two main stars are the room and Mike, the struggle between the two were a great watch. They both held nothing back and the fiery ending left me sad and a little disappointed, but I suppose the mystery of the room will always remain that way.

 

6 down. 25 more to go.