By Matthew Wood

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching movies with Samuel L. Jackson, it’s that it is probably a good idea to do what he says. When Coach Carter wanted us to push the tempo and play Richmond Oiler ball, I ran that fast break with all my heart. When Neville Flynn said to put a barrier between us and these muthafuckin’ snakes, I happily obliged. And when Jules Winfield told me he would strike me down with great vengeance and furious anger, I took him seriously.

So Mike Enslin (John Cusack) really shoulda listened when Dolphin Hotel manager Gerald Olin (played by Jackson), told him to stay out of Room 1408. Well, he didn’t, and you can’t help but blame him for the ensuing terror that came crashing down.

For those who don’t know, 1408 (which is loosely based on a Stephen King short story, but what horror movie these days isn’t?) follows Enslin, a writer about paranormal sites who has turned cynical and bitter after the loss of his daughter and the failed marriage that followed. He makes the Dolphin a stop on his tour of “haunted” hotels. Despite the continued pleas from Olin (Again, when Jackson tells you “It’s fucking evil,” it might be a good idea to heed his warning), an undaunted Enslin hunkers down for the night – to horrific results.

It’s futile to even try to explain what he goes through, suffice it to say he finds himself – literally – on the many levels of hell, flashbacks in every room and dead daughter in tow for much of the trip. Just when you think he’s getting out, they pull him right back in, making him long for death and finally driving him make to the ultimate sacrifice.

Much like Enslin is of his haunted stops, I’ve always been a cynic of the horror film genre. I just never really found many of the movies I’ve seen to be that believable – and therefore, not that scary. But I must tell you, without hesitation, that this one completely freaked me out. I knew what was coming, and it still didn’t keep me off the edge of my seat. Finally, by the end, I was able to calm down – much like Enslin – because I had pretty much accepted our fate. We weren’t getting out of this one alive, and that was just all there was to it.

Cusack puts on a very credible performance as a man who starts out with little left to believe in, but quickly shifts gears. Pretty much the entire middle third of it is just him and his thoughts – and a very, very bad hotel room.


As for the DVD, there’s not a whole lot more bonus material that’s worthwhile. For the record, I’ll take the alternate ending #1, which seemed like the most realistic. I imagine that’s the one King would’ve liked best – mostly because Enslin dies -- although I can see it not sitting well with test audiences. The other features really didn’t shed much more light on the making of the film. Even a tour of the making of Room 1408 was hastily made and didn’t have much meat to it.

But I can’t stress it enough: This movie is freaky as hell. And on a personal note, I’ve been living at the same apartment for about seven or eight years – at 1408 Waveland, which has been fondly referred to as just “1408” for as long as I can remember. When I heard they were making a horror film about the place, I must admit I was a bit shaken. I was able to resist the urge to see it until now – when I found a few quiet hours in the middle of the day with nobody else around to interrupt.

About midway through the show, I heard strange noises coming from the intercom – the same system that has been broken ever since I moved in. As I approached the door, I listened for another sound. Silence. I hit the “talk” button. “Hello?” I called out, in my most convincing not-freak-out voice. No response, just more garbled noise. Then I charged down the three flights of stairs faster than I ever have before, convinced the spirits had finally caught up to my humble abode. As I slowly peered over the doorway onto the front porch, into my view came the sight of … the building handyman, playing with the doorbells. “Just fixin’ the buzzers,” he said cheerfully. “Did I scare you?”


I slunk back upstairs, but not before locking both doors and closing all the windows. The ghosts of 1408 weren’t going to get to me – at least, not today.