I thought about going to see this one when it came out, but somehow missed it. I regret that now; I imagine this movie must be creepy as hell in the theater.

There are two stars in 1408. One is John Cusack, in a role that seems pretty comfortable for him, and the other is a room (suite, actually) on the 14th floor of a New York hotel.

As the movie opens we see Cusack going through the motions of being a successful writer. His heart doesn't seem to be in it though, and writing about haunted tourist attractions seems to be unfulfilling for him. (As I suppose it would be.)

That all changes when he receives a mysterious postcard mentioning a hotel room. He calls to inquire about it and is rebuffed. Some legal wrangling gets him into the hotel and in the office of the manager (Samuel Jackson), who does his best to talk Cusack out of staying in the room.

This is also effective at creating the tension and creepy atmosphere that pervades the rest of the film. Since this is a horror movie, John Cusack ignores all the warnings (complete with photographs and a truly improbable amount of documentation) about the room, and checks in.

The rest of the movie details what happens in the room.

"1408" is based on a short story by Stephen King. I have not read the story, but there are echoes of The Shining here. To be sure it isn't quite on the level of that movie, but it is still effectively creepy, without being completely over the top like some of his screen adaptations can be.

Gore is minimal; most of the torment inflicted on him is psychological, but profound. Halfway through the movie I thought that if I was in his shoes I could tough it out; towards the end I was not so sure.

This is a good movie for horror buffs, Stephen King fans, and people who have always thought hotels were vaguely creepy. It isn't necessarily a good movie for fans of John Cusack; he isn't given much opportunity to be handsome or charming here, though he is very convincingly freaked out by his stay in the hotel.

Not for kids, unless you want them sleeping with you until they turn 18.