1408

*** Stars

In a summer of sequels, 1408 stands out on its own, being one of the few pleasant surprises of the season. John Cusack leads the film into an effective and haunting piece of cinema that ranks with the better Stephen King adaptations including The Shining.

Mike Enslin (Cusack), a famous ghost story writer doesn't believe in his own words. He only believes what he can see and has no proof of any supernatural experiences, until he checks into suite 1408 of the notorious Dolphin Hotel for his latest project, "Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms." Defying the warnings of the hotel manager (another inspired performance by Samuel L. Jackson), Enslin is the first person in years to stay in the supposedly haunted room and will try to be the only survivor of room 1408.

Now the premise of this story is totally bogus. What hotel would still be in operation after fifty-six deaths in the same room? Wouldn't there be an investigation involving the staff? Still, in its own little world, 1408 doesn't fall for its own tricks by drawing out ridiculous scenarios of a man who overcomes a string of ghosts. Instead, director Mikael Hafstrom lets Cusack take control by showing how these occurrences affect him personally with his work and his past. This is the best horror film of 2007.