Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘1408’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When it comes to horror, and on a personal level, there are two sub genres/monsters if you will that simply have trouble resonating with me on a deeper level; vampires...and ghosts. It's not because I find those monsters silly, they are terrifying by design, but often times I find that their stories tend to be simple in nature when it comes with how to deal with them. After all, vampires have rules and ghosts, simply need peace.

For me having that simple sense of resolution provides a certain safety net to the story, thus removing that feeling of sheer terror that makes horror great. I like my horror unbridled, unfettered, where the creature in question is malicious and unyielding and once in a great while, a film comes along that has a vampire, or a ghost that is outright terrifying...and there is not an ounce of safety to be found, as was the case with the big screen adaptation of Stephen King's short story,  1408.

This is a story that introduces us to Mike Enslin, a writer that is extremely talented and a best seller to boot, but he has more or less taken the easy road when it comes to his career. Rather than focus on the intellectual fare he was originally published for, he instead works on books that highlight various haunted places across America, trying to see by chance if he will indeed be frightened by something supernatural. To date, no such thing has occurred, but he has used his talent to ignite imagination and leave people wondering if ghosts truly exist or not. But one day he receives quite the surprise in his mail, when someone instructs him to look into room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York City and what he finds is downright fascinating. Stories of murder and suicide permeate the room, meaning he has found one incredible story, but staying in the room won't be easy. The hotel's manager restricts anyone from staying in that room for their own safety and while Mike believes this is all part of the show, he is about to discover that there is indeed something sinister waiting for him in 1408...

At its core, this is a story of self discovery for Mike Enslin since he is truly a disillusioned man who believes only in the almighty dollar and what he can see in front of him. Much of that is in part to the losses he has suffered over the years jading him to this point, and the mystery of 1408 captivates him on a level he never knew possible and the events that happen within that room, allow for Mike to grow and go on a complete journey...in the scariest of fashion and that's what makes this movie so downright fascinating. 1408 actually manages to make Mike a better man when all is said and done, he just has to face living nightmares at every turn in order to get there, and that's where the story gets ugly, because 1408 as Mister Olin (played brilliantly by Samuel L. Jackson) puts it, is an evil f*cking room. 

Whatever haunts this room, wants blood, and as much of it as it can get and it does everything it can to enjoy a fresh meal. More or less, one's worst nightmares come into into play in this place, along with the worst parts of one's past and it makes the room quite the dynamic character to say the least and chilling as well since it is a force of nature, one without emotion or remorse and since we are in the room with Mike as the horror unfolds...we are also privy to this awful experience and the emotional rollercoaster this film takes us on, is an incredible one to say the least. This is one of those rare treats, a film that turns out to be a top notch adaptation of Stephen King's work, and while it's one that quite frankly you should probably watch with the lights on, it's a film that you need to watch none the less.

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