way overrated

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) writes books about haunted places: mansions, hotels, graveyards, you name it. One day in the mail he receives a postcard advertising for the Dolphin Hotel in New York City, which contains a note: DO NOT ENTER 1408. So he starts investigating the hotel room, and eventually ends up wanting to stay in the room. At the hotel, he meets manager Gerald Olin (Samuel Jackson), who tries to persuade Mike not to go in the room because strange things have happened and no one ever lasted more than one hour in room 1408.

WARNING: VERY PREDICTABLE.
Yes, there were thrills and scares, yes the buildup to the room was well done, but after that point, it just goes downhill because it is so predictable - despite the few scares. A lot of it has to do with logic, and more to the point, things that the manager tells Mike: electronic devices don't work in 1408, yet when Mike turns his computer on, it works??? The tv remote works? The radio? Is it just me, or don't these things work on electricity? So in that sense, the script was bad.
Also bad, because of its predictability. Without spoiling anything, it would be hard to talk about the event that makes the movie predictable, so I won't go any further.

Reasons for giving 2 full stars (4/10 note) for this movie, include Jackson's and Cusack's performances, as well as the ending. Let's put it this way: as a ghost story, the ending makes sense. But as horror or thriller, it doesn't.

Rent it if you like ghost stories. If you like thrillers, nothing should surprise you.


4/10