A man named Mike Enslin (John Cusack ,though Keanu Reeves was attached for playing lead role in the movie) writes books evaluating supernatural phenomena in hotels, and other haunted locations , as he specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences . Shortly thereafter Mike meets the manager of the hotel Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) and he checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel . Soon after settling in , he confronts genuine terror and stays locked-up . Later on , he gets to communicate his wife (Kate Walsh was originally cast in this film, but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflict and she was replaced by Mary McCormack) by means of a computer .
This exciting film based on the terrifying story by Stephen King contains chills , thrills , suspense , and supernatural situations . The picture succeeds because the thriller , tension , suspense , as well as a superbly written script delving into the human psyche in such extreme situation and ours instinctive urges for survival . The screenplay manages to be intelligent , intriguing and thrilling , the good thing about this film is that the director made it on an acceptable budget only having to do a few sets , yet the movie works on many levels but is constantly reconfigured . Extraordinary performance from John Cusack in his second appearance in a Stephen King film adaptation , the first was Stand by Me. The picture bears certain relation with ¨The Shining¨ both movies were also shot at the same studio - Elstree, in London . The story this film was based on was almost never written ,Stephen King originally created the first few pages of '1408' for his nonfiction book, "On Writing," as an example of how to revise a first draft. The story, however, intrigued him, and he wound up not only finishing a complete draft, but adapting it for an audio-book compilation of short stories. Colorful and evocative cinematography by magnificent cameraman Benoît Delhomme . Thrilling and suspenseful musical score by Gabriel Yared who had formerly won an Academy Award for Anthony Minghella's The English patient . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Mikael Hafstrom , an expert on terror and sinister atmospheres as proved in ¨Drowning ghost¨, ¨Evil ¨, ¨The rite¨ , and of course ¨1408¨, he's now filming ¨The Tomb¨. Rating : Good , above average . The picture will appeal to Terror buffs and Joan Cusack fans .This is without a doubt a thought-provoking and mysterious film to be liked for terror fans , turning out to be one of the most original horror movies of the last years .
