Movie Review: 1408

1408 is a story about Mike Enslin (John Cusack) who researches the paranormal. He writes books to help people "stay scared," except that he debunks pretty much every ghost story he encounters. As he goes through another pile of offers to stay in haunted B&Bs, he encounters a post card for the Dolphin Hotel in New York that says not to stay in 1408. Of course, he decides that he, in fact, must stay in 1408. We learn, at this point, that Mike has a past that "haunts" him, and before the movie is done he will be forced to confront it despite his best efforts to avoid it.

Overall, this was a good movie. In this day and age, "horror movies" usually fall into three categories. Some are more like bedtime stories for small children with the occasional startling moments. Others attempt to be intellectual, requiring the viewer to think about what is going on. The problem with these is that they shove everything out in plain sight, leaving you nothing to think about. Still others fall into the hack-and-slash bloodfest. Most people have been so desensitized to things in movies of the 80s that these modern horror movies seem anemic in comparison.

1408 was different. I found it creepy and a little bit scary. It was well acted, and must have been well directed. You could really connect with the story alone in the dark. The only thing that left me a little disappointed was the ending. Without giving things away, there is a moment in the movie which completely disrupts the suspension of disbelief. Even still, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good quality horror-thriller.