1408 (2007)

Boooo!

Just too over the top. I think Horror movies are more enjoyable when there is a sense of realisim in them.

The events which took place in this room would be more appreciated in a fantasy world not a horror movie.

I also feel that john cusack as an actor wasnt very convincing in this roll either. October 8, 2008

A Fantastic Movie, Mediocre 'Collectors' Edition

When 1408 was first released into theaters, I had heard mixed reviews, not from critics, but from friends of mine who had managed to catch screenings of it before I did. Not that that was hard to do, mind you, because I rarely, if ever, went to see films in the theaters. I think in recent years the only film I was going to see in theaters was 30 Days of Night, but was unable to due to a stint in the hospital. Going back to the mixed reviews, a friend of mine, who was also a big fan of horror movies, told me it was awful, not worth the money, and like an idiot I listened to her.
However, for some reason that I can not explain, when the film was released on DVD, I had this strange compulsion to watch it. I noticed it was On Demand one day, and I called my mom up and asked her what she thought of the movie (her and my father had seen it at the drive in). She said that she thought it was 'ok'. However, with all due respect to my mom, every film in her eyes except The Dark Knight is 'ok', and it's even harder for a horror film to please her. Against the odds, I rented the film and watched it. However, the On Demand version was the directors cut, but I still loved it.
Well, you can imagine my surprise when I watched the theatrical version and the original ending came along. The things that really stuck out about this, though, was John Cusack's performance. It was incredible. I had never really been a fan of him before this- he had never really done horror films, and I tend to watch pretty much only horror. But he blew me away with this. The direction was strong, Samuel L was in it (which is always props to me), and it wasn't relying on blood and guts, like the Hostel or Saw franchises. I must admit it scared me that the film was rated PG-13, but for a PG-13 film, it got away with quite a few uses of the F word (when Cusack hurts his hand).
As for this DVD... I love it, I love the postcards it came with, and the very, VERY short making of's, and the fact that it has both versions of the film, but... It's kind of disappointing. Why couldn't they put both versions of the film on disc one and LOAD the second disc with extras and making of's, kind of like the Batman Begins DVD did? If you're looking for behind the scenes footage, you'll find, oh, I'm guessing... ten minutes worth? It's a good ten minutes, but it could have been much, much more.
Since I tend to read reviews on Amazon for information on the DVD extras and not the film itself, that is what is most crucial for me to reiterate in my review. This DVD is NOT a Collectors Edition, it is a 'spend more money for two versions of the film and ten minutes of behind the scenes!' But it's a cool ten minutes, and I guess even though I'm disappointed with the content, I say buy it if you love the movie. I mean, why not? The postcards are cool. October 8, 2008

1408

I had forgotton how intense this movie was....After I got this movie I got another one and put it away for a Christmas present....I just adore Amazon!!!! October 6, 2008

TYPICAL HOLLYWOOD

I just finished watching 1408. Imagine taking about, oh, 20 movies. Cutting out pieces of them from each reel, splicing those pieces together and calling it a new movie. At no time did this film frighten me. At all times it confused me. I kept trying to find a plot and right up to the end, couldn't find one. I'm angry that I got suckered into thinking, once again, that Hollywood still had the ability to make a good movie. Save your money, folk. This is a real bad one. September 24, 2008

Well produced and directed... but it all looks as harmless as Disneyworld.

John Cusack - a great actor - is very good as the protagonist of this story: an once honest author who now makes up stories about haunted hotels. So he is a non believer... and when faced with a hotel room everybody fears, it is obvious that he knows there's nothing in there except the imagination of those who enter the room.

That is a great premise... but here it fails completely because the film does not offer anything interesting, scary or simply offbeat to surprise the audience.

It all starts beautifully, as Cusack spends the first few minutes in the room and discovers there is something there that puts chocolate on his bed and replaces toilet paper... and turns on the radio that plays The Carpenters.

But that's all... in a few minutes, the room becomes a roller coaster ride... ghosts can be seen jumping out the window... a window closes on Cusack's hand... the key breaks... and soon he discovers he is in one of those places in movies that we hate: a kind of parallel universe where anything goes: it rains... strange noises... it gets too cold... he sees his dead father... he sees his dead daughter... the wall has cracks and drips blood (how unoriginal!)... it snows... the paintings on the wall seem to move... the room gets flooded... the TV shows things... the radio keeps playing while unplugged... etcetera.

We've seen it all before and it is all harmless like the haunted house in Disneyland.

What I hate the most here is that the horror of this film is just a stupid sequence of idiotic tricks. Look: it's a guy locked in a hotel room for one hour. What fabulous ideas are there that turns this constriction into an advantage? None.

Nothing scary here. This is a badly conceived project. Not all horror books can turn into great horror films. September 4, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...