Samuel L. Jackson does have an on screen presence. Whether he's in Do the Right Thing or The Negotiator or whatever, you know that when this guy is on screen SOMETHING is gonna happen. Too bad the man didn't really have any function though. This movie wasn't as big on explaining as it was on showing. Yeah, some skeptical author on supernatural phenomena who ironically doesn't believe in the paranormal spends a night in some haunted hotel room...and that's the plot. What the hell? What was the function of Jackson's character besides providing gory background about 1408? How could the dream sequence happen if Cusack actually never left the room? How come a hotel employee mutilated herself seconds after being in left in its bathroom but Cusack could spend five minutes in there unharmed? Maybe it's because he's Cusack, and the ghosties decided to give him a chance because they really liked his performance in Better Off Dead. Entertaining, but leaves questions unresolved.