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John Cusack stars as skeptical horror novelist who checks into a haunted hotel room — the titular 1408 — in Mikael Hafstrom’s adaptation of a Stephen King story. 1408 follows the pattern of much of King’s work: After a shaggy beginning, there’s a gripping, intriguing middle that goes on too long, before its thrills are extinguished in a “definitive” conclusion. The midsection, which starts when Cusack encounters the smooth but vaguely sinister hotel manager, portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson, is quite entertaining. Hafstrom makes the most of the story’s restrictions — a single actor in a single room, with a few clever gimmicks — while ramping up the suspense and mystery. Is the room “evil,” as Jackson warns, or are Cusack’s own demons, buried beneath a familiar veneer of dismissive irony, getting the best of him? You’ll wonder, and likely nibble your nails a bit. Early check-out for viewers would be ideal, but, along with hardworking Cusack, we must struggle through several false, and ultimately unsatisfying ends. 
This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2007.
