Reasonable horror movie, starring John Cusack. Travel writer Mike Enslin (Cusack, pictured) has made his name, and his fortune, penning books about haunted hotels. So when a letter arrives warning him not to stay in room 1408 of a Manhattan establishment, he packs his bags and heads straight there.
Attracted by the idea of debunking another hoax, and intrigued by the obstructive behaviour of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), Enslin settles in for what he expects to be an uneventful night. He couldn't be more wrong. Shortly after arriving, strange goings-on disrupt his stay, but it's when the spectre of his dead daughter shows up that things really take a turn for the worse.
Swedish director Mikael Håfström (Derailed) turns Stephen King's short story into a reasonable cinematic chiller. Cusack is well cast as the derisive writer and does well to carry a plot which unfolds mainly in one room. But the film lets itself down by not making the most of Jackson's character, who has the best lines but isn't given enough screen time to build on them.
1408 is a Film programme that first aired in 2007 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
