It's been a couple years since a Stephen King adaption has impressed me, but (finally) one has arrived.
          The DVD showed up in my mailbox, about a week ago, after agreeing to feature it on The Flesh Farm with Black Ops Media. I've been skeptical about recent Stephen King adaptions after watching the awful Riding the Bullet back in 2004. (Fucking horse shit movie.) But I thought to myself, "John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and Mary McCormack are in it. It has to be good." And I was right.
          As you might suspect, from reading the synopsis above, this film is very similar to 1980's, The Shining. If you are a dedicated fan of The Shining, you'll notice more similarities than someone who saw it once in the theater back in the early 80's. Both are set in hotels, both revolve around a single room, both have a family containing only one child, both males are drunk writers who encounter intense cold and snow... and the list goes on and on. But this isn't necessarily what I would consider a reformulated version of The Shining. Normally, I would've guessed the writer ran out of material and decided to rewrite one of his best sellers, but this is not the case. Thankfully.
          There are plenty of differences when it comes to 1408 and The Shining. For example, John Cusack plays a man who's daughter died from a health condition years before we enter his life. In attempts to find his daughter, he becomes an investigator in paranormal activities investigating haunted houses, haunted lighthouses and haunted hotels. Now, in The Shining, Jack Nicholson plays a man who isn't looking for ghosts or haunted attractions at all, he just needs a job. That example alone changes the entire mood and atmosphere of the film.
          What other examples do you ask? 1408 plays with your mind in a much different way than The Shining. 1408 is confined to one small room of a giant hotel, where as in The Shining, the whole damn hotel is a reason to call the Ghostbusters. Yeah, one might think it would be worse to be running around inside a massive hotel with hundreds of ghosts opposed to being stuck in one room with only 5-10. But I disagree. When any human being is confronted with a potentially harmful situation, the "fight or flight" instinct kicks in. Now, if I had to choose between the two, I would as least want the chance to run. Yeah, both situations suck... but at least the overwhelming urge to run like a 3rd grade girl is still a viable option.
          Samuel L. Jackson did an excellent job as always playing the manager of 'The Dolphin'. Watch for him during an especially humorous scene dealing with a small refrigerator. (Hilarious) Mary McCormack was cast as John Cusack's wife, and I feel this was a smart decision. You might remember her from Deep Impact and K-PAX where she also did stunning work. John Cusack should get an award for his portrayal as Mike Enslin. I have no idea how he managed to look so damn terrified through the thousands of takes they shot to complete the film. Kudos to John.
          In conclusion, 1408 is definitely worth the money. The two disc collector's edition is jam packed full of extra goodies and behind the scenes material including interviews with the cast and crew. 1408 turned out to be far more than I had hoped. Great film!