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"1408" serves it up

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I was genuinely unnerved last night -- okay, somewhat scared -- as the heavy-creepy stuff began to happen in Mikael Hafstrom's 1408 (MGM, 6.22). Roughly 30 minutes in, and people to the right and left of me were feeling it also. This is good, I said to myself. I'm feeling queasy and anxious and insecure, and I'm generally immune to the crap that scary movies tend to push.

The difference is that 1408 isn't peddling the usual usual -- not your typical torture-porn, anything-goes, too-bad-if-it's-not-credible shocker stuff, but seriously chilly vibes that are rooted in a believable psychological state that's eating away at the main character. This, for me, is what makes it all workable and palatable, and that means it's going to do pretty well. I mean, I'd be really surprised if it doesn't.

An adaptation of a Stephen King short story, 1408 is primarily a one-set spook show with John Cusack as a paranormal book writer facing all kinds of demons (including his own) inside a haunted Manhattan hotel room. He gives something close to a one-man performance. But one of the things that scared me the most has to do with a roll of toilet paper. I just wanted to say that -- a roll of damn toilet paper.

Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman has written that 1408 "doesn't pretend to be a seismic Stephen King movie like Carrie or The Shining." Except 1408 is a whole lot scarier than The Shining. They're both haunted-hotel flicks but they exist in fairly different realms, and I prefer 1408's. Save for a few special effects moments, its main order of business is serving up old-fashioned fright. Something being in a room, and nobody knowing when, why or how the thing is going to happen and scare everyone shitless.

Eli Roth would probably be a little bit bored by this film, and I think that's wonderful.

By the way: King apparently got the idea for 1408 from a real-life experience of parapsy- chologist Christopher Chacon when he visited room # 3502 at the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, Calif.. He may have encountered the ghost of Kate Morgan, who died in the hotel in 1892 under dark circumstances. Chacon has described his visit to room # 3502 as a "classic haunting." Using infrared cameras to track magnetic fields, humidity, temperature fluctuations and electronic emissions, he found 37 abnormalities in one day.

"Sicko" for free<< previous | next >>"Prince" dialogue

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 15, 2007 at 2:06 PM

comment #1

christian says ...

the last movie that scared me was THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT...ah, the summer of '99...

Posted by christian at June 15, 2007 4:02 PM

comment #2

Rick says ...

I read the short story because I heard it was being turned into a movie. I love King, but I probably never would have gotten around to it were it not for that.

On a semi-related note, I think "Everything's Eventual" would transfer well.

Posted by Rick at June 15, 2007 4:15 PM

comment #3

jeffmcm says ...

I would be happy for this movie to be good, but the trailer and TV commercials have convinced me that it's an effects-heavy, sentimentalized piece of garbage.

The last movie to scare me was 28 Weeks Later, now playing in a theater near you.

Posted by jeffmcm at June 15, 2007 4:17 PM

comment #4

Kristopher Tapley says ...

Jeez, I go to the Del all the time. Good to know I'll be scared shitless next time.

Speaking of which, I recently visited the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colordao. It's where King got the inspiration for The Shining, and it's got its scary-ass spots to be sure.

Posted by Kristopher Tapley at June 15, 2007 4:27 PM

comment #5

Noah says ...

Scarier than the Shining? That seems pretty unlikely to me, but I hope that's not just hyperbole. I think it looks pretty interesting.

Posted by Noah at June 15, 2007 4:32 PM

comment #6

JB Moore says ...

Christian -

Good call on Blair Witch. It amazes me how many people loathe that movie. I remember seeing it and thinking that it wasn't all that scary when I walked out of the theater into the bright daylight (and being pissed about how genius and simple the whole concept of it was), but later that night? Couldn't sleep at all. And the next time I went camping? Forget about it. Definitely did for the woods what Jaws did for the ocean. The image of the guy standing in the corner still sticks with me to this day and I haven't seen it since that Summer, nor do I ever want to.

Spill one for '99. What a year.

Posted by JB Moore at June 15, 2007 4:37 PM

comment #7

MickTravis says ...

"Eli Roth would probably be a little bit bored by this film, and I think that's wonderful."

I'm not sure why you think that's wonderful; seems like a cheap shot. I don't even think it's really all that correct. Roth is a genuine, straight-up horror fan who'll like any horror movie if it's scary and good.

"1408" has promise but, God, think how cool and scary it would've been if they could've figured out a way to fucking market it that didn't give away so much of the movie.

Think if the trailer hadn't shown you anything that goes on inside the room -- for example the famous "Shining" elevator teaster, and had just set up the scenario and then pulled a "Don't Stop Believin'."

Of course I'm dreaming.

Posted by MickTravis at June 15, 2007 4:41 PM

comment #8

Mcflyboy says ...

I realize that Jeff saying 1408 is "scarier than The Shining" isn't quite the same as him saying its better than The Shining. But the fact that he said it has me worried all the same.

1408 is one of King's most effective short stories, but what made it so scary was being inside the mind of character as the room slowly drives him insane. The film has added all sorts of unnecassary padding and bullshit, giving Cusack's character a dead daughter, a web camera set up, etc. It could still be fun though.

Posted by Mcflyboy at June 15, 2007 4:50 PM

comment #9

Mgmax says ...

I'm glad to hear this is good, I was torn between "Shining in a single room-- it's concentrated for maximum claustrophobia!" and "Shining in a single room-- Jesus, King will poop out anything that occurs to him, what's next, Stephen King's Haunted Stapler?"

At least they sensibly cast a star who you'd actually find interesting and likable enough to spend two hours with in this kind of story. It's a short list of candidates, that's for sure.

Posted by Mgmax at June 15, 2007 4:56 PM

comment #10

Rick says ...

I'm glad someone else really dug Blair Witch. Everyone I know hates it or just doesn't "get" it.

Posted by Rick at June 15, 2007 4:59 PM

comment #11

jodyr says ...

he found 37 abnormalities in one day.

And it's most likely that none of them had anything to do with any kind of so-called haunting.

Posted by jodyr at June 15, 2007 5:15 PM

comment #12

Movie Watcher says ...

The 1408 short story is good. King knows how to build the suspense. I hope the movie is as good as you say. Also, Roth directing "Cell", also from King, should be scary and gory. The things you can do with zombies!

Posted by Movie Watcher at June 15, 2007 5:27 PM

comment #13

Josh Massey says ...

The only film that's truly frightened me (as an adult) has been The Shining. As a huge King fan, I am now officially very excited for this.

And oddly enough, I don't think Roth is that bad a fit for Cell. If he tries to touch "The Dark Tower," though, I may have to kill him myself.

Posted by Josh Massey at June 15, 2007 5:39 PM

comment #14

Josh Massey says ...

And it's also intriguing that a movie can be that effective as a PG-13. Makes me think there's a little bit of hope for Live Free Or Die Hard...

Posted by Josh Massey at June 15, 2007 5:41 PM

comment #15

MickTravis says ...

According to a myspace bulletin he sent out this week, Roth isn't going to be making "Cell" any time soon.

Posted by MickTravis at June 15, 2007 6:16 PM

comment #16

Rich S. says ...

Blair Witch amounts to a long campfire story like The Hook. "And then, when the girl went down the stairs, she looked over next to the wall...."

And like one of those stories, if you're in the right frame of mind, it's utterly terrifying. The trick only works once, but, boy, does it work. I saw Blair Witch when I was 35 years old, and like JB, I had the most vivid nightmares that night that I'd had since I was a kid. And you never saw one drop of blood.

Posted by Rich S. at June 15, 2007 6:52 PM

comment #17

JD says ...

"Eli Roth would probably be a little bit bored by this film, and I think that's wonderful."

You do realize, Jeff, that Roth's next film is a Stephen King adaptation from the writers of 1408, right? I know he's saying he won't shoot Cell for a while, but it still appears to be his next film.

Posted by JD at June 15, 2007 7:22 PM

comment #18

D.Z. says ...

christian: How can anyone be scared by grainy shots of a bag and a tree?

JB: I'd like it more if it wasn't another remake.

Posted by D.Z. at June 15, 2007 7:42 PM

comment #19

alan says ...

"And you never saw one drop of blood."

Actually, yeah, you did.

Posted by alan at June 15, 2007 8:09 PM

comment #20

BurmaShave says ...

So it's much less mezzo-mezzo than the usual usual?

Posted by BurmaShave at June 15, 2007 8:42 PM

comment #21

DarthCorleone says ...

Blair Witch gave me a hell of a nightmare as well - one of the most vivid, terrifying ones I've ever had. I agree it doesn't hold up to repeat viewings as far as the scares go, but it's still impressive moviemaking.

Posted by DarthCorleone at June 15, 2007 10:32 PM

comment #22

berkguru says ...

The Shining is probably top 3 scariest movies of all time. Maybe the fact my mom took me to see it when I was 10 years old skews my view a bit on it. So this is a pretty ridiculous comment but who knows. Maybe Wells can let us know how much Mexican trash he saw in the theater.

Posted by berkguru at June 15, 2007 10:37 PM

comment #23

jeffmcm says ...

DZ, which movie are you pretending is a remake, Blair Witch or Jaws?

Ignorant people are one thing; and people with stubborn, aggressive ideas are another thing; but people who aggressively and stubborn push their ignorance in other peoples' faces is unspeakably awful to me.

Posted by jeffmcm at June 16, 2007 1:25 AM

comment #24

BurmaShave says ...

DZ is probably trying to claim that BLAIR WITCH is a remake of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. It's reaching.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 16, 2007 1:58 AM

comment #25

Howlingman says ...

Despite some rather obvious flaws, I have to applaud 1408 for the fact that at its most basic level, it's a mainstream Hollywood movie that's essentially one character in a room going crazy for 90 minutes. Ballsy.

Posted by Howlingman at June 16, 2007 7:41 AM

comment #26

iamanerd says ...

Seeing Blair Witch would be in my Top 3 moviegoing experiences of all time. My buddy worked at a theater, so we got to watch it the night before it officially started from like 1-3am. I was scared shitless walking through the parking lot by myself after the movie. No one on the road driving home so it was extra eerie, kept looking in the backseat all the way. I was 22 years old and actually checked under my bed and in my closet before I went to sleep that night. Seeing the guy standing with his back to the camera at the end still gives me goosebumps 8 years later as I'm typing this. Went camping a few months later and swear I pissed 5 feet from the tent instead of walking out in the woods alone.

Posted by iamanerd at June 16, 2007 9:12 AM

comment #27

JB Moore says ...

I think DZ is referring to The Last Broadcast which is about a film crew trying to track down the Jersey Devil out in the Pine Barrens (perhaps they ran afoul of the Russian?).

Never seen it, so I can't make a comment as to whether it ripped-off Blair Witch, nor do I care one way or the other. My original point was that Blair Witch is genius, and along with Brad Anderson's SESSION 9, the best, most effective horror film of the past ten years.

Posted by JB Moore at June 16, 2007 9:43 AM

comment #28

Mark says ...

funny, i had heard that King got the idea for the short story while reading The Shining.

The full length trailer looks very high quality; the best horror-movie trailer since The Others.

Posted by Mark at June 16, 2007 10:55 AM

comment #29

The Movie Man says ...

Good call JB on SESSION 9, I think you may like it a little better than I did, but it is a really creepy, underrated movie. I haven't seen BLAIR WITCH since the theatre and don't feel I need to, but that doesn't change the fact it came closer to the primal dread of the first Chainsaw than I would have thought any modern horror film could.

Where's the shout out to THE DESCENT? The best John Carpenter movie, that Carpenter never made (and its better than most of his.)

I think DZ is saying that BLAIR WITCH is a remake of Miller's Crossing, because they both have woods in them, but MC is just a heist movie so he hasn't probably bothered to see it.

Posted by The Movie Man at June 16, 2007 11:17 AM

comment #30

D.Z. says ...

Burma: Blair Witch is as much a remake as Tarantino's work, hence why neither director can do anything different.

JB: The Last Broadcast wasn't first, but I have yet to see it, and assume they ripped that off, too. And
http://www.misanthropic-bitch.com/blair.html sums up my feelings about the film.

Posted by D.Z. at June 16, 2007 12:11 PM

comment #31

cinefan says ...

iamenerd's posting about how scared he was on the way home after seeing Blair Witch reminded me how scared I was after seeing Scream the first time on the big screen. I was 21 when I saw it for the first time in the theater with my sister and it scared the crap out of both of us. We checked the backseat of the car after the movie was over and, once we got home, we couldn't enter any dark rooms without turning on the lights first and checking behind furniture. It took me a couple of days actually before I stopped feeling a little paranoid and scared. Now, I probably see the film as more funny than scary but, man, it really unnerved me when I saw it the first time nearly ten years ago.

Posted by cinefan at June 16, 2007 5:40 PM

comment #32

christian says ...

i adore BLAIR WITCH and think it holds up perfect on repeat viewings -- when i can handle it. i thought the premise was brilliant when i first heard about it and i was on that site the moment it popped up. internet hype my ass. when i saw it opening night at the dobie in austin, you could hear a pin drop at the end. i could not sleep all night and even left a light on.

besides all that BWP is actually about something and heather donahue is playing a unique character. she's amazing as are the others. speaking of trailers, BWP is my pick for best of the past ten years. and one of the top ten ever. "I'm so scared..."

THE LAST BROADCAST is scary too but falls apart at the end with a bad pov shift.

"Stephen King's Haunted Stapler?"

well he wrote a story called "chattering teeth" about...well, you know. king lost me big time with that one.

Posted by christian at June 16, 2007 11:56 PM

comment #33

christian says ...

no wonder dz loves that BWP review:

"Then again, you should probably ignore my review. I'm not big on movies. I'm not the person who can name every important director, and I've never used the pause button to analyze frames; my finger is forever reaching to press fast forward."

Posted by christian at June 17, 2007 12:02 AM

comment #34