1408

1408
By Larra

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) doesn’t believe in anything or anyone but himself since the death of his daughter and as a consequence he has numbed himself to the world and his feelings through cynicism. He has written numerous books “debunking” any proof of life after death and has even disproved famous haunted locations around the world and in his latest book “Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms” he still hasn’t come across any proof of the afterlife that is, until he is invited to the Manhattan landmark known as the Dolphin Hotel.

Upon checking in, Enslin is greeted by the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson) who tries relentlessly to deter Enslin from staying in the notorious room 1408 which is rumored to be haunted. 56 deaths in room 1408 which range from heart attack, suicide and drowning in a bowl of chicken soup are explained in a graphic scrapbook displaying the victims in their state of demise which the manager gives to Enslin in a last ditch effort to thwart him from staying, along with the line “no one lasts more than an hour…” But Enslin, the skeptic that he is, doesn’t heed the warnings.

Once inside the so-called haunted room, the paranormal fun begins as specters relive their untimely deaths over and over again and Enslin is forced to deal with his feelings of helplessness and loss while the clock radio plays The Carpenters “We’ve Only Just Begun” and starts a one-hour countdown.

This adaptation of the Stephen King short story was like watching an updated episode of The Twilight Zone while sitting in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.