Movie Review - “1408″
** 1/2 STARS
Scary movies these days are a dime a dozen, almost all of them fail at creating original moments and genuine scares. Most of the horror movies out these days contain way more gore and cruelty (”Saw”, “The Hills Have Eyes”, “Hostel”) then some of the best, most recent scary movies have in them (”The Others”, “The Sixth Sense”, “Frailty”, “Stir of Echoes”). After watching “1408″ it reminded me that some horror films do not need the over the top elements to chill you to the bone, sometimes the quiet subtle scares are more creepy.
Based on a Stephen King short story “1408″ is a entertaining and refreshing escape from the summer blockbuster season. It is the little chiller that could, and based on it’s fabulous opening box office numbers, it may just end up to be a big sleeper hit by this summer’s end. John Cusack once again reminds us why he is one the best actors we have in Hollywood. Three quarters of the movie is just Cusack on the screen. He is so convincing that we are drawn into his characters downward spiral of madness.
Although there is not very much gore or very many moments that make you jump out of your seat, “1408″ does a good job of keeping you creeped out and guessing what will happen next. If it weren’t for John Cusack this movie may have not worked at all. Even with a PG-13 rating this ghost story does a great job at delivering spooky moments with a smart story to back it up.
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