1408

Name: 1408

Genre: Horror/Mystery

Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Mikael Hafstrom (Director)

Synopsis: Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is an unpopular and not so well going author. He wants to write a book on supernatural events although he doesn’t believe in that after the death of his daughter Katie recently. He receives an anonymous post card written on it “don’t enter 1408” from the Dolphin, a hotel in New York City. Being enthusiastic Mike forces the hotel to have a booking of that room. Hotel manager Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) persuade him not to book and go in that room as 56 people has died in that room from few years and no one stayed alive more than 1 hour in that room. But Mike insisted in taking that room as he does not believe in paranormal activity. When he went into that room, he records in his mini cassette about the whole appearance of the room like dull appearance, shabby type of looks of the room etc. Suddenly the clock radio starts playing “we have just begun”. Mike at beginning starts thinking this is just the trick of the hotel staff. At 8:07 the song starts singing again. Now Mike starts experiencing some super natural events like slamming of the door by a widow, hallucinations of the previous victims and especially of his own daughter Katie. He tries to get out of the room but all in vain.

To contact his wife Lily (Mary McCormack) for help, he tries to use laptop but sprinkler system short-circuits his laptop too. Suddenly room temperature goes below Zero and his laptop begins working again. Lily told him that police has been the 1408 as told by him but the room is empty and no one was there. A same lookalike of Mike came to the chat window and ask Lily to come to hotel. Mike breaks a picture in that room which starts flooding the room. He was on a beach surface and after that reconciles with Lily and thought that it was at all just a dream. Lily asks him to write a book about it, but on visiting post office to send his script he saw some people as construction crew and recognizes it as the hotel staff previously in that hotel. After destroying post office it is revealed that Mike is still there is room 1408. Mike saw the vision of Katie and seeing that he again felt charged. Again that song begins to play and Mike looked for the same Radio clock. As it ends room changed to normal again and clock radio sets itself again at 60:00. Suddenly the operator calls Mike after the resetting of the clock.

Mike asks her to release him but she said he can relive the hour over and over again. Mike sees a vision of himself being hanged in that room but he refused to do that to himself and sets the room on fire. The whole was evacuated and Lily was stopped at the entrance so that she could not be sent in that room. Firefighters pull Mike to safety from that room. In the office Olin said “Well done Enslin well done.” When Mike meet Lily as the entrance he told the whole story to Lily but she didn’t believe him even a bit. As both were moving back, Lily finds a box from the rubble of 1408 and finds his tape recorder. He plays that he hears the conversation of him and Katie. Lily hearing this came at a shock stares at Mike with Shock and was scared and Mike to was watching Lily grimly and scene black outs.

Review: It is one of the best horror and thriller movies that one can see. John Cusack performance in the movie was commendable and rest of the cast performance was also decent. Direction of the movie was good and so do was the special effects. Most impressive part of the movie was the story and screenplay part that was simply brilliant but although ending was a bit low to standard which it has raised during the whole movie and that was a little disappointment. The movie has 3 alternate ending which was very unique and what we feel the best ending will be the original ending of the movie which was not included was the feel it was a little low to the context of the movie. But overall movie was great and definitely to be watch who liked horror and thriller type of stuff.

Stars given: 3.5 out of 5.