I saw this recently and I feel the need to put in my two cents.  I’ve pondered the possibility of just putting together a list of movies that suck…but I wouldn’t say this one sucks exactly so I guess it deserves at least a paragraph. 

It was somewhat slow moving and the plot is mediocre at best.  This saddened me because I love John Cusack (maybe it’s just because I loved High Fidelity so much…and Being John Malkovich, but nonetheless).  Now like I said, it’s not that it sucked it’s that it was not particularly interesting.  I know the commercials made it seem like non-stop suspense…what’s really in that hotel room?  However it was somewhat predicable and uninteresting coupled with a lame plot.  I mean, that in itself is kinda sad – lamenting a dead daugther and resulting esstranged wife.  (No, I didn’t ruin anything, that’s all revealed very early.) 

I mean if you’re jumpy I suppose you’ll see this as scary, but no moreso than your run of the mill Halloween haunted house.  I personally am not normally scared by them, but occasionally after about 12 guys hiding behind a corner, the guy in the wall may cause you to jump.  However it’s not actually “scary” as such, which is always such a disappointment for me.  I enjoy scary movies, but most movies are not scary, just bloody or jumpy.  While blood is gross and guys popping out may make you jump it’s not an actual scare.  To me, you have to be a little more intellectual to actually be scary.  (No, I’m not saying you need to be Einstein to scare, I’m just saying you have to get into people’s minds.)  Movies like Silence of the Lambs and more recently Saw can get into your mind…the kind that cause nightmares.   Although I suppose movies that are geniunly creepy can also cause nightmare…like It. 

Anyhow like I said, it’s not that it sucked it’s that 1408 is kinda lame, uninteresting, and disappointing if you’re looking for something really creepy or scary.  If you’re looking for something to get drunk and laugh at, I suppose it might work.  I’d actually rate this best for a date movie – it might make you or your date jump a little (great excuse to hold hands/cuddle) and if you spent the whole movie talking or kissing…who really cares?  It’s not like you’re missing something good.  ^_^