1408

A great film. From the horrifying "audio story" of my beloved SK came an above-average film in all respects, which brings back memories of the good old days when the word horror didn't just mean dozens of disgustingly slit throats, piles of disemboweled intestines and a poor atmosphere. I have no reservations about the way the filmmakers handled the subject matter. The short original text was obviously not enough for the whole film, so a lot of things had to be thought out. But even the added passages feel like they are straight out of Stephen King! I was staring... Admiration must go to the director, the special effects team and especially John Cusack, who simply excels in this film about one progressively mad author. And so I thought - if I gave five stars to Darabont's The Mist, why not give them to 1408? One of King's best adaptations. (09/09/2010)

I like Stephen King a lot. It's just that not all adaptations of his books are excellent. Unfortunately, I haven't had the privilege of reading the book, so I can't compare this time, but if I were to rate the movie, and I probably should since I'm typing this blabber here, it would be four stars. But for what, though? For the atmosphere? John Cusack's performance? The storyline? The satisfying ending, where the wife's bulging eyes confirm that her husband really did experience something? I add it up, I scratch twice, and yeah, it's a well-deserved 4 stars. Definitely for me. (11/05/2008)

I was expecting a cynical hero locked in a scary room. And I got a cynical hero with past trauma locked in a treacherous room, which can scare you so much that unexpected visitors will not be welcome at that moment. Even in the horror genre, there is occasionally a surprise that won't easily leave your mind and that you would gladly experience again, despite the unpleasant dose of fear. Cusack's The Raven deserves this privilege. (15/10/2008)

John Cusack's tears are probably just as unbelievable and implausible as this whole film. Thematically, it is quite interesting, but as I reflect on the supernatural films of recent years, 1408 doesn't come close in terms of plot. At the same time, I have to admit that dealing with such a screenplay is an incredibly difficult thing, and it definitely required a more experienced director than this unknown Norseman; they didn't manage to squeeze out much out of it. The beginning is simple with the characters being outlined, and things start to escalate as soon as Cusack enters that room, but mostly in an unoriginal way. Violent jump-scares, the tension, instead of coming from the camera work or directing, comes from loud music and some noisy sound, the plot is fairly flat and monotonous, with dreadfully cliché family background. In short, there are quite a few shortcomings. There are a few good things: excellent sound, quality visuals, and a relatively fast pace. I won't go deep on the insanely convoluted ending for safety's sake, that's a chapter in itself. (22/07/2008)

It’s no easy feat to bring Stephen King to the silver screen in a respectable form. While some have managed to successfully adapt several of his non-horror pieces, as for his scary stories, only one has been good. So it rather surprising that in the end it was a routineer like Håfström who managed to do something to even up this sorry imbalance. Because of limited space, 1408 relies solely on the central character. Luckily Cusak turned out to be an outstanding choice. His charisma supported by a good measure of cynicism, together with his unmistakable croaky voice holds the picture’s head above water even during the weaker moments. The fundamental problem here is that after the wonderful opening hour, the creators didn’t head straight for the finishing line, but needlessly and even unbecomingly drag it out. It begins with a wonderfully created atmosphere, lots of ideas and several borrowings from other stories by King (e.g. “The Ledge"). But in the second part, the tempo drops sharply, the story starts to get out of its depth and the atmosphere almost completely disappears. And there aren’t even any ideas anymore, just over and over variations of the same thing we have seen earlier on in the movie. As a result, 1408 ends up being the same as its literary counterpart is in comparison to other works by King. In other words, an example of above average filmmaking craft, but it definitely won’t stay lodged in your memory. P.S.: Of the three existing endings, by far the best is the not so happy one. (10/07/2007)