

John Cusack, being the “everyman’s actor,” was the right choice for this flick, because it is easy to see yourself in his position, being the cynic about the supernatural. “1408” harkens back to the type of scary movie that constantly has you wondering what is going to take place next, writhing on the edge of your seat in anticipation. The chemistry between Cusack and Jackson is not only perfect as polar opposites, but sets up the classic Stephen King scenario: Each party so believes in his dogma that no one is going to give an inch, let alone be convinced that the other individual is right. What makes the tension even tighter is that Mike has done his research, with clips from newspapers and stories of room 1408, and he still insists on spending the night there. Olin isn’t kidding around and warns him that guests who have checked in have never checked out, and if they have it’s that they literally checked out. I mean, you just know if you were in a similar situation you would have to “double dog dare” the other person into doing something that only an insane person would follow through on.

There’s nothing more enticing than telling somebody not to do something, knowing that will make them want to do just the opposite even more. Jackson), tries to dissuade Enslin from checking into that room. Turns out nobody has stayed in that room for years, and even the hotel’s manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Up until this time, he’s not only been convinced that people who accept such behavior are nuts, but is able to explain away why things sometimes go bump in the night.įor his next project, “Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms,” Mike wants to prove there is no such thing as a haunted suite, and checks in to New York City’s Dolphin Hotel to start work on debunking the stories surrounding room 1408.

With that belief (not to mention the dollars that back up his belief), Enslin pretty much writes off the notion that there’s an afterlife as well. His beliefs have paid off very well for him, authoring a string of successful books that debunk the “myth” of haunted houses, cemeteries and all things paranormal. In fact, as horror novelist Mike Enslin, he believes only in tangible objects that he can see. Playing the part of a novelist himself, Cusack is able to pull off being the skeptic and then wondering when things start to turn really weird.
