Rated: PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language. Runtime: 94 mins. Director: Mikael Håfström Writer: Matt Greenberg and Scott Alexander Cast:John Cusack; Paul Birchard; Margot Leicester; Walter Lewis...complete cast Tagline: Based on the terrifying story by Stephen King. Genre: Horror / Thriller Memorable Quote:"There have been 56 deaths in 1408. " Release Date: June 22, 2007 Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Official Site:www.1408-themovie.com/ View the Trailer:www.imdb.com/title/tt0450385/trailers-screenplay-E32744-10-2
It's been a while since Hollywood has offered up a truly scary ghost story. Numerous feeble attempts like An American Haunting and the remake of The Amityville Horror have come our way recently, but like those offerings, most fail miserably because they look to the wrong place to conjure up scares. Loud noises, rapid jump cuts, lopped-off limbs, and screeching cats do not a scary movie make. Chills and frights, to be genuine and intense, must come from within the viewer's own mind, not from what the filmmaker shows us on the screen. And this is exactly what makes 1408 so successful as a paranormal thriller. Swedish director Mikael Hafstrom (Derailed) takes a lesson from horror masters Hitchcock and Serling, and builds the movie out of strong characters and solid acting rather than flashy cgi and eardrum-piercing noises. In fact, Hafstrom prides himself on his insistence of using practical effects rather than green screen and cgi. And 1408 is a better film because of it... more
By Jeremiah Lewis
Someone should stop Stephen King from agreeing to let movies be made of his work. Unless it's a prison movie or a coming of age story. His horror seems difficult to translate well to the screen. While John Cusack does an admirable job of playing the cynical Mike Enslin, a writer who specializes in books about haunted locales, the script by Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski feels lackluster, and Mikael Håfström's direction is unapologetically adolescent... more
