Pretty Woman

1408 (2007)

On Demand for The Big Screen, Seattle, WA

November 23, 2007

* 1/2 / ****

by Scott Muoio

As one of America’s best-selling authors, Stephen King is beloved by millions for his clever horror set-ups and uncanny ability to create disturbing moods and ambiance in his stories. On the other hand, King is also one of America’s most critically bashed writers, loathed for his lousy endings, almost exclusive use of writers as main characters, and various other “hack” like tendencies. Yet, in spite of the mass love and critical hate that surrounds this strange, strange master of horror King is a pretty regular guy who has time and again enchanted the public with a variety of horrific tales of crumbling psyches and the supernatural. 1408, the latest cinematic translation of one of his shorts stories, is typical Stephen King fare, that is, easy to love or hate depending on what you bring into the experience. For my viewing, I brought in an intermediate understanding of numerous King novels and film adaptations, so little came as a surprise. As such, I found 1408 quite typical, silly, and not nearly as entertaining or engrossing as a psychological thriller need be in order to receive kudos.

The film begins by introducing John Cusak as a cynical haunted house writer besieged by his personal demons and on the hunt for his latest faux fantastical venue to explore. After receiving a post card that tips him toward The Dolphin Hotel’s haunted room 1408, Cusak packs up his ghost meter and travels from LA to New York to explore the venue. What ensues upon his arrival is a roller coaster ride of psychological meltdown and inner soul searching of the most heavy-handed kind.

By far the best part of the film, Cusak takes his role very seriously and is the only reason the film’s second half, where the ghoulies come out to play, isn’t total camp. Unfortunately, the writing is on the wall as soon as he enters room 1408 of what is going to happen and why. From the creepy Karen Carpenter inspired clock radio to the ever-changing wall paintings, the return of past 1408 victims to the scene of their demise to Cusak’s inevitable final cigarette, this is by-the-numbers poltergeist schlock and an abridged version of King’s The Shining. By the time the dream within a dream within a dream ending finally unravels before us it is difficult to be anything more than thoroughly unimpressed and a little disappointed that what we imagined was happening really was: little true danger except what Cusak inflicts on himself. B-o-r-i-n-g.

To be fair, 1408 isn’t so much a horror film as it is a psychological drama. Things don’t jump out of the corners of the screen as in your typical fright fest and I suppose that’s not the point. Instead, strange occurrences slowly degenerate the mind of a man who shouldn’t be susceptible to such things but is once he discovers how convincing 1408 can be. In that sense, 1408 shouldn’t be judged according to horror film standards, but rather on how well it breaks down its main character. There, of course, it fails. By confining Cusak’s ghost hunter to the claustrophobic setting of one room in a giant hotel, the film limits how much we can buy into the scenario and inevitably makes the mental breakdown laughably ridiculous. Why do we care how or why this cynic breaks down in the face of his own hypocrisy? And where is the real danger 1408 brings to the table other than what seems to be Cusak’s garbled poltergeist visions?

Clearly there are only two explanations for a room supposedly embodying pure evil: the room isn’t evil and all the craziness that ensues therein is purely in Cusak’s mind, or the room truly is rotten to the core. Either way, the film gives us little reason to care which view provides the truth and in giving a final answer of both, it thoroughly dissatisfies as it continually leads us in directions that don’t matter one way or another. Was Cusak drugged, is he hallucinating, is God finding retribution on a non-believer, or are evil spirits pulling the strings in 1408? Who cares!? And that the film goes a step further with the ridiculous by taking a page out of Contact and then continues to pile on the twists, in the end it leaves us with no doubts: this is a film with an interesting set-up and little more.

I have heard the book differs quite a bit from the movie especially in regards to Cusak’s character’s inner demons. So be it, but in the film incarnation it is to easy to forecast what is happening and why, and difficult to understand why we wasted 100 minutes to be slapped around by goofiness and a trio of twists. If only Hollywood would cool it with all its false endings and tacked on “A-ha moments” maybe I wouldn’t be as cynical as I am. But alas, 1408 is pretty typical of today’s Hollywood fare and definitely another in a long line of clichéd Stephen King cinematic adaptations.