Mike's initial foray into the hotel room is wonderfully modulated with nail-biting tension, but as Hafstrom begins to lay on the seemingly-endless big production setpieces, the increasingly over-the-top practical effects (which are admittedly well-realized) soon grow tiresome and repetitive. If '1408' suffers, it is from a runtime that stretches the material a bit too thin.
And even more so in the 112-minute Director's Cut included here, which further fleshes out Mike's relationship with his father, which is only gingerly touched upon in the original theatrical cut (though this extended take's much darker climax cuts some of Cusack's best, concluding moments that were highlights of the theatrical version). If Alexander and Karaszewski get too heavy-handed and maudlin in the third act (introducing a number of familial subplots that play as pure melodrama), Cusack still pulls it off. What works best is his understanding of the character's arc - he strikes a perfect note of world-weary cynicism in the early scenes, which makes his eventual submission to the supernatural elements believable. It's one of his best performances in years, with the actor neither condescending to the material nor treating it as camp. The result makes '1408' the rare King adaptation that's both faithful to its source but also better developed, allowing the film to deliver an emotional impact that's unexpected, rather than just come across as another pale, inferior imitation.Ĭusack is the film's center. (Cusack goes into the room, scary stuff happens, and the climax comes quite quickly.) That gives co-screenwriters Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski ample room to expand the narrative scope and complexities of character without sacrificing any portions of King's structure. '1408' benefits from the fact that King's original work was not so much a full-fledged story as simply a detailed event. As the room attempts to exert its power, Enslin begins to descend into madness, eventually unraveling into his own past memories of his failed marriage and the death of his young daughter. Jackson), he soon finds his hardened beliefs tested. But when this skeptic insists on staying in the reportedly haunted room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel against the grave warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Though both films have their fans and detractors, thanks to the success of '1408,' King seems once again to be a hot commodity at the box office.Īdhering fairly closely to the basic structure of King's story, '1408' stars John Cusack as Mike Enslin, a cynical writer who has made his name writing cheesy "paranormal investigation" books about supposedly haunted locations.
There was Frank Darabont's ' The Mist,' a well-made if divisive box office disappointment, and '1408,' Mikael Hafstrom's equally well-crafted sleeper which managed to better entice audiences by balancing both PG-13-friendly spookhouse thrills with the more heady themes explored by King's original short story. Not since the glory days of the early '80s had we seen many decent flicks based on the author's work and then, all of a sudden, last year brought us not one but two noteworthy entries in the King cinematic canon. Call 2007 cinema's renaissance year for Stephen King adaptations.