1408

Catnapper · 1408

It's based on a Stephen King short story called "Everything's Eventual" and it's out on the 31st August.

John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a writer who makes his living debunking the paranormal.........until he stays in Room 1408 at The Dolphin Hotel where mysterious deaths have happened and where the Hotel Manager (Samuel L Jackson) tells him not to stay in that room......

Can't wait to see it!

Lucifer_666

Yeah babe I seen this trailer on telly and it looks really good.......it shows him taking online in the room to someone and he's telling her to phone the police and then she says ...."the cops are standing in that room now" much to his understandable shock

In fairness to King he has some amazing ideas but most of all I love his character developments and interactions....he's great at buiding up a story

roddglenn

Yep this one looks damn good - I'm a big fan of King's writing and of a lot (although not all) of his film adaptions.

There's a good competition on the C4 website for this film...

http://www.channel4.com/film/advertorial/1408/win.html

Catnapper

Hmm I wonder what the answer is?!!

I went in for a comp last week to win a prop from the film.......hope I win!

roddglenn

Cool - I like competitions like that where you can get something really meaningful.

Catnapper

It's even more meaningful if you win! I'm not holding my breath but it'd still be good to win!

Lucifer_666

Yep sounds like a good prize too...I'd love to stay in a haunted house....it'd be fun

Catnapper

Go in for the comp then Luc......you might just win!

Lucifer_666

Oh if I won I wouldn't know which one of my ladies to take babe

Catnapper

Which would they be more frightened of......you or a ghost?!

Lucifer_666

How did I miss this post???

Definitely me I reckon though I enjoy haunting a ladies body and I go in and out like an apparition....we may need a few spirits though

Lucifer_666 · 1408 Review

I seen this last night....
I'm not a huge fan of John Cusack but I have to say that I thought he was exellent in this....he plays a small time cult writer Mike Enslin who spends much of his time staying in various hotels or places that are rumoured to be haunted in order to make reference to them in his books...his previous books are basically studies on the haunted premise of the buildings and he writes with pure scepticism on the paranormal...advertising the locations...yes... but also debunking their ghostly claims too. Enslin speaks throughout on his tape recorder, and early on you can see he is obsessed with his work so when he gets a strange postcard amongst other haunted Hotel invites saying 'Don't enter room 1408' he just can't resist.
Cue the appearance of Samuel L Jackson the manager of the hotel who goes to great extent to persuade Cusack not to stay in the room but to no avail and he enters.........Jackson although billed as a major actor even joining Cusack on the cover of posters, covers, etc really has a very small part in the movie, granted its a good one though....

The film builds up extremely well while you follow Enslin's analytical mind deduce early on that the room is just like any other he has stayed at..... that is until of course things start happening that his logic seems unable to reason with...It is after this that we get much more of an insight into the character's past along with watching his assured self control dwindle away.........

You can tell immediately that it is a Stephen King short and as a fan of King I love the way he builds up an atmosphere and also his character developments...I actually noticed alot of different subtle referrences to other stories of his in this one......The fact its in a hotel automatically points to The Shining.......one of the first victims of the room was named Grady ......Grady was a character in "The Shining, ..Enslin also has the superstitious habits of a writer reminiscent of Paul Sheldon in Misery (Of course I'm also aware that King could be using himself as a template when creating characters that are writers and thats where the similarity lies) and there is a scene very similar to that end sequence in Misery where Paul thinks he sees Annie Wilkes serving at the restaurant.

The movie gives its fair amount of shocks too and there is a real claustrobic feel as soon as he enters 1408, I think part of the reason I liked the movie is because I could identify somewhat with the Enslin character or at least his scepticism although he was a bit more extreme in that regard than me and the first sign of trouble and I would have been out of there....no truthfully after Jackson's warnings I would never have even entered it in the first place

.

Mikael Hafstrom does a good directing job too constantly keeping the intensity up moving to each notch pushing us the audience with it revealing more of the character's story...which is very much what the movie is all about...

Anyway a good entertaining Horror, not King's best by a long shot but still very much an enjoyable creepy ride

Madamhoney

I'll keep it short and to the point, what a load of rubbish!!!!!!! What a total disappointment.

Lucifer_666

Different spokes for different folks I suppose

And its looking like you don't get any more different than you and me Honey at the moment

Madamhoney

Well, I'll tell you what I didn't like. For a start, this was supposed to be someone who didn't believe in ghosts, but it didn't take very long for him to get spooked. All it took was for the radio to turn on and the taps to go wonky and he was peeing his pants like a little girl! You wouldn't have that sceptic on Haunted Homes running out like that!! LOL!

Then it was just one thing after another, (totally cliched too) which didn't allow time for any build up of atmosphere. And what happened was so OTT it was completely unbelievable and therefore not scary in the slightest bit. Plus the plot was so obvious you could've written the whole thing practically after watching for just 15 mins.

I was very disappointed as I'd been told it'd had great reviews and someone even said it was the creepiest film ever (

What?!!) Plus I love John Cusack, think he's a great actor but I cringed at some of the scenes, it was embarrassing how over-acted it was in places. I love a ghost story but not this one. Real shame.

Lucifer_666

With your first bit ....I think your being a little bit unfair Honey ...remember the character also got the gory details from Samuel L Jackson before he even entered the room.... and he was quite convincing...he even states that as soon as he walks into the room 'that the Manager had him going for a minute'

I also think its not too far fetched to think that he had never experienced any paranormal experiences before in any of the supposed haunted places he'd been... so it would have shocked him when he actually for the first time started experiencing them.

As for your other criticisms I find them quite alien to the film I saw Honey I thought the film built up very well and it was pretty well acted....If I have any bone to pick it would be with the ending but then again I always do with Stephen King's endings (save Shawshank)..... though I think its because he builds up characters and stories so well you expect a better ending than he could possibly provide..

I wouldn't say it was the creepiest film ever now

but I did find it entertaining ...but as I said everyone to their own...who wants a world were we all like the same thing all the time??

Catnapper

I'd been looking forward to seeing it for months and I have to say I enjoyed it......though I can see Honey why you were disappointed that it didn't live up to the "creepiest film ever" tag

I had an "is that it" type moment when it looked like the film had ended......but I was glad the film carried on from that point and there were more happenings to come!

I even liked the ending too.......when he looked at his wife with the "see, I told you so" type of expression and the look on her face.....I got goosebumps!

Madamhoney

Must just be me then - LOL!

Lucifer_666

I don't think any film could live up to that tag

I think thats the problem with hearing great reviews about certain films they can never live up to expectations

But its not a right or wrong thing ...its just different tastes...opinions

Yeah Cat I enjoyed the bit too where you think its over ...but not really

Madamhoney

Not being funny but it was so obvious that *spoiler*

he hadn't escaped.

Lucifer_666

Okay you didn't like it Honey ... I think I get the message

1408

1408 Review