Review of 1408 (2007) by Michael M — 22 Dec 2013

An efficient house-of-horrors pic that pretty much accomplishes what it sets out to do. Based on a short story from Stephen King, it has all the merits of such. The story is fairly simple, the explanations few, but it wratches up the horrors until a strong climax.

I can't say I was ever outright scared by it, but I was engaged, and the tension builds up pretty effectively. It's interesting that John Cusack pretty much carries the whole film (being the only character on screen 90% of the time) and he does so very effectively.

He's really a big part of why the film works, and his rising terror can be a bit contagious which makes the film work. 1408 is nothing particularly special, but it does what it sets out to do effectively.

It's a fun roller-coaster of a movie with enough character to prevent it from feeling too hollow.