1408

When we think of horror movies, we tend to think of monsters, ghouls and rogue spirits hunting down innocent victims while a cheesy soundtrack plays.  Rarely do we watch movies about truly evil, completely inanimate beings being the main cause for alarm.  Yes, that scary movie may take place in a haunted house, but it's the crazed spirits of human-like ghosts and demons who haunt our protagonists, not the actual house itself.  Yes, dolls like Chucky and Anabelle are horrendously creepy, but even they move and have human-like qualities.  That's where 1408 separates itself from other films in this genre.  This film is not about an evil, human-like spirit.  It is not merely about a doll with some character.  Instead, 1408 is about an evil room, and therein lies its genius.  Our feeble human minds cannot grapple with this monster - one with no face, one who toys with our emotions and aspirations like it does to protagonist Mike Enslin (John Cusack).  As like many adaptions of Stephen King's greatest works, this film not only creates new avenues for humans to see new forms of horror but also innovative ways to experience this newly discovered horror as well.

The film's exposition and introduction can be summed up rather quickly.  Mike Enslin is a horror writer, and catches wind of a mysterious haunted room in which every resident has apparently committed suicide.  He manages to coax the hotel's manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson), into letting him use the room for the night.  Although Olin very reluctantly agrees, he still leaves Enslin with a very stern word of warning - that Enslin cannot grasp the terrors that the room will instill in him.  Enslin just shrugs these menacing words off.  How can a room be evil?

What follows this basic plot is nothing short of psychological horror genius.  This film is much less about throwing spooky screamers in our faces than it is about showcasing the fragility of the human mind.  Enslin finds himself in a room where he can't escape, which at one point seems to go on for infinity.  He is mocked by a sadistic phone line, who offers him an "express check out" of dubious merit.  His emotional baggage, which was well-hidden at the start of the film, starts to unpack as his mind starts to crack.  As the film progresses, it becomes obvious how 1408 is great at driving the audiences' expectations.  Scenes don't just happen, they unwind.  Any trace of sanity or logic is removed not immediately, but slowly and surely.  Suddenly, the image that we're being shown seems... off.  From there, the cracks begin to appear, and, soon, all hell breaks lose.  Ultimately, however, 1408 is asking the question: How would we, as humans, act in Enslin's situation?  Could we escape and inescapable room that was continuously devouring on our sanity?  If one ponders on these questions for any length of time, the film begins to get exponentially more terrifying.

In review, I find 1408  to be one of the best psychological thrillers/horror flicks of the past twenty years.  Yes, its exposition and character are a bit lacking, but it makes up for it with beautifully done surrealism, terror and creepiness.  It throws its audience into an unbelievable situation that would cause anyone to shudder at its dark and horrifying overtones.

4.5 out of 5 stars.