Absolute Horror Film Forum

Don't believe the hype.

This is the one film I wanted to see on the BIG screen - though I have bad luck with the morons, either giving away the plot, talking all the way through the flick, watching footy on their 3G mobile (boy those screens are bloody bright, for such small things), or even waving their freebie magazine over their head in front of the screen, I now settle down in my own front room with the 5.1. Though I was tempted to venture into the hallowed halls of moviedom by one of my favourite actors, John Cusack, acting in one of my favourite author's stories. Shame I knew nothing about the director.

On my 40th Birthday, my mother-in-law bought me three DVD's - TinMan (watch this mini-series); The Musical Version of War of the Worlds Live (not too bad, worth a watch if your a fan of the recording); and the much awaited 1408 (The Director's Cut).

Now it could be that just recently, I had a few days off work, due to illness, where I was able to re-watch Rose Red in it's entirety. I was even able to view The Haunting. With these in my subconscious I found 1408 rather bland. It didn't even chill me as much as The Shining - in fact, the only thing which kept me watching was the actors. It's very routine.

The premise for a great horror film is there, right from the start, and in the meeting with the Hotel's Manager. played by the always present Samuel Jackson (now advertising UK Broadband), there's mention of all the people who died in the room. I particularly liked the one story about the man who went insane and cut himself open - then regained some sanity and tried to sew himself back up. Now, I thought, this is gonna be one great movie.

Though, once in the room, the story slows down and the spooky tricks start. The clock radio alarm, blares into life and clicks over to 59:59 and starts to count down (nice touch, and Cusack is dubious since the manager told him nobody survived for more than an hour.) From then on the usual stuff happens, ghosts and apparitions, taunt and haunt him. Then the room starts to change, windows disappear - and the recording he made upon entering the room changes accordingly. Remember the scene where a person is trying to escape from someplace only to find that the hallway, down which they are fleeing, stretches out before them, getting twice as long with every hurried step they take. Well the director, adds a twist to this. Cusack goes out on the ledge to move to the adjacent window and room, and freedom from the haunted place, except the wall, he's clinging too becomes infinite, with no other windows. And it's slight twice on a tried and tested favourite which sums up the rest of the film. The twist, when it comes is overly long, though the director tells you it's a twist in the first few seconds of that section. There's even one section where a painting of a ship on the seas changes to a ship in a storm. Then suddenly seawater pours from the picture and fills the room. Now if I remember correctly - I remember something very similar happening to Fatty Arbuckle in one of his silent movies - or was it Charlie Chaplin.

The one true good thing about this movie is the ending - and the directors cut is different from the cinema version, though I won't spoil it.

As I said before, if I hadn't watched those other haunted house / hotel movies, I probably wouldn't have felt so let down by this. People have been raving about the psychological horror coming across better in this movie. Which is a fair comment, as you only have around two hours. But with Storm on the Century, Rose Red, The Shining, which are mini series, you can have upto 8 hours to put the tingling hooks of fear into the skin and souls of your viewers. It fell flat. Neither shocking or scaring me - though the wife wouldn't go to bed on her own that night.

If you haven't seen a haunted hotel room / house movie before then watch this one. THEN watch The Legend of Hell House 1973 (still one of my faves), The Haunting (1963), Haunted (1995), and even Psycho (1960) to see how it should've been done.

(5/10)

Come join me - We ALL Float Down Here.

PENNYWISE Stephen

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