One of the best narrated Movie . Review on 1408 Movie

. Directed by: Mikael Håfström

Based on the novel by: Stephen King

Starring: John Cusack -as- Mike Enslin Samuel L. Jackson -as- Gerald Olin Mary McCormack -as- Lily Jasmine Jessica Anthony -as- Katie Tony Shalhoub -as- Mike's Agent

Release date(s) US : June 22, 2007 UK : August 31, 2007

Running time: 106 mins.

Plot: Mike Enslin is an author who specializes in writing about ghosts and the paranormal. However, he is also not a believer. He believes that most of this talk about spirits, ghosts etc is just in your imagination and so he is willing to travel anywhere to try and find out if there are actually any places in the country that are haunted. But can a non-believer SEE?

The film begins straight away as we see him arriving at a small B&B in the middle of no-where. The couple who own the B&B have requested his presence as they believe the attic room is haunted. Mike very arrogantly just demands the key as he has been driving all night. When he enters the attic room, he sets up his stuff and sits and waits....and waits....and waits. Nothing. Complete waste of time.

Later on in the week, Mike is checking his mail, and as usual for a known author, he has abit of junk from fans and tends to skip through some of this mail not bothering to read it. However, something catches his eye. A postcard with 'The Dolphin Hotel' on it, and on the back is just a simple message that says "Don't Enter 1408". Mike cleverly de-codes the numbers by adding them all up together, 1+4+0+8=13...an unlucky number for some. He likes this and decides to try and check himself into room 1408 at The Dolphin Hotel.

When ringing he asks if he can stay in the room for one night, without telling the Hotel which night, they say "I'm sorry sir, that room is unavailable", he then jokes around with them abit and asks if it'll be available next week, next month or next summer, and each time he is told "That room is unavailable". Mike isn't going down without a fight so he gets his agent involved who manages to find out that the hotel HAS to let Mike stay in the room if it is available. Mike is thrilled and makes his way to the Hotel.

Upon checking in, the receptionist has a message on her computer that says "Alert Management when this guest checks in". After a small delay, we meet Gerald Olin, the Hotel manager who takes Mike into his office and explains to him that he is not to stay in 1408 as horrible things have happened in that room and nobody lasts more than an hour. Olin then tries to bribe Mike into not staying by offering him the chance to have a look at the confidential file for room 1408 which includes details about how each person died in there. Mike gives it a think, meanwhile Olin offers him some $800 a bottle of whiskey, Mike accepts and tells Olin he is STILL staying in the room. Olin tries to spook Mike from not going in by telling him about just some of the people who died in that room, including a woman who came out blind because she dug out her eyes with a pair of scissors, or about the man who drowned in his soup or about the woman who threw herself out of the window. Mike STILL wishes to stay in the room so Olin lets him, letting him have the confidential file and the bottle of whiskey.

Mike manages to find room 1408 and enters the room. Mike, and us, the viewer, are stunned to see a clean, sparkling room with no signs of anything evil or bad. Mike even says out loud "so this is it?". He makes himself at home, pouring himself several glasses of this expensive whiskey. Suddenly, the radio blasts out loud with the song 'We've Only Just Begun by The Carpenters', and Mike jumps out of his skin! He then watchs as the radio alarm clock starts to go crazy and the numbers mess up, but when they stop going crazy, the radio alarm clock displays "60.00", and starts to count down from 60 minutes. Mike then laughs to himself and remembers what Olin had told him "nobody lasts longer than an hour in the room".

From this moment on, Mike starts to think he is going crazy....but is he? Is there really something evil in the room? Or is it his imagination? Did he really see his dead daughter Katie? Did he really manage to communicate with his wife Lily? Is this really happening? Are the walls really bleeding? Will he ever stop seeing people die in that room? What will happen when the clock stops counting down?

MY OPINION ------ I actually quite enjoyed this film. It was what the thriller/horror/supernatural genre needed, something abit different and strange.

I am a big fan of Stephen King and have read many of his books and seen nearly all of his films and I have to say that this film will probably go down as being one of the best, along with The Shining. It does a little far fetched as with some of Stephen Kings novels or movies, but I think this is probably to be expected.

I had high expectations for this film and overall I wasn't all that disapointed. I was made jump afew times and was a little spooked out at afew things too. What I tend to do when watching any sort of thriller or horror movie is I put myself in the main characters position...I really get a feel for what is around them and what must be going through their head, and this just makes the film so much more enjoyable for me, if I actually believe that it is ME in the movie. You might think i'm abit crazy and strange for thinking this way, but believe me, it will make things alot more spookier and tense than it would if you were JUST a viewer.

The acting in this movie is pretty superb. John Cusack is brilliant as Mike Enslin and as expected Samuel L Jackson excels in his performance as the hotel manager, giving off the impression that he is very powerful and very rich. I must also congratulate Mary McCormack for her role as Mikes estranged wife Lily as she was a very believeable character, and so was Jasmine Jessica Anthony who played Mikes dead daughter Katie, she also gave a very good performance especially in one particular scene which was very tense and quite upsetting.

Half way through the film, you think it's about to come to an end, and you start to question what has just been happening in the first hour. But just when you thought things were over, they begin all over again and it makes you feel so sorry for Mike.

Overall, I did quite enjoy this film and I would recommend it for anyone who is looking for something abit different, maybe abit challenging and for something to give you afew chills. I would like to point out that this film is not gory, so gore fans you'll have to either grin and bear it, or find another film to get your fix from. But I would recommend that you see it, as it will be watched by many millions of people across the globe and I would hate to find out that YOU were the one who didn't see 'that film'.

Just be warned that it can be just abit far fetched and make you think "yeah right"...but it is just a film at the end of the day so don't take it too seriously.

This movie can be compared to the book very well as the director as kept it very similiar, even using the same names and going as far as having Cusack say specific lines from the book. If you're abit of a book worm, read the book first and then watch the movie