1408

Director: Mikael Håfström

Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Jasmine Jessica Anthony, Mary McComack

When you hear the name Stephen King, the appropriate reaction is to feel a shiver down your spine. 1408 is a film based on a short story by the acclaimed horror and fantasy writer. It’s about a man who, traumatised by the death of his young daughter, seeks to find definitive evidence to prove that an afterlife exists. He finds none. He then comes across the famous Dolphin Hotel and discovers the terrifying rumours surrounding room 1408, and braves a stay there despite 56 people having died there in the past.

International director Mikael Håfström breaks onto the mainstream Hollywood scene with this terrifying motion picture, accompanied by the talents of horror screenplay writer Matt Greenberg, who is responsible for other horrors such as The Killing Box, Prophecy 2 and Halloween H20:20 years later. 1408 is also blessed by screenplay writer Scott Alexander, who has written a number of horror screenplays, along with screenplays of other genres such as Man on the Moon starring Jim Carrey in 1999.

John Cusack is a personal favourite of mine, and takes the lead role as Mike Enslin. Cusack is most famous for his romanticcomedy performances in films such as Serendipity and America’s Sweethearts. However, he is more diverse in his talent than he appears, and has played similar roles to Enslin before, as in the highly successful psychological thriller Identity in 2003 starring alongside Ray Liotta. Another interesting actor in this film is Mary McCormack who, although known recently for her roles in ER and The West Wing, has dabbled in film throughout her TV career, such as in K-Pax and Miracle on 34th Street. The hotel manager Gerald Olin is played by the one and only Samuel L. Jackson, and although he does not star, he does play a successful supporting role.

Horror can be a delicate and difficult genre to work in; however Håfström delivers a genuine story of loss and a terrifying tale of the supernatural.

Rachael Pilson-Wood