It is definitely, and happily I might add, above average. Afterwards, I didn't think it was a waste of time and money and, these days, that's a hell of a compliment.
It starts innocently enough, as horror movies are wont to do. Our hero, ably played by John Cusack, is in yet another "haunted" hotel purportedly to witness extra-ordinary events about which he's written quite a few books (10 Most Haunted Graveyards, etc.) and comes away with nary a ghoulish visit. A few scenes serve to show this is the norm; our man's a cynic of the worst sort, unflappable and jaded.
The pace picks up somewhat and Cusack finds himself in NY city--a most terrible occurrence in itself (I kid)--at the behest of a strange warning delivered on a post card: stay out of room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Despite warnings delivered in a sinister fashion by Samuel L. Jackson, Cusack finds himself ensconced in the confines of the dreaded room 1408. Hilarity ensues.
Despite the other actors, this is a one man show, a vehicle for Cusack's somewhat pallid acting skills (at least in this movie. Ordinarily, I like him.) I wasn't terribly frightened and in the end, realized there didn't seem to be much gravitas to this one. The attempt at raising the spooky factor in the closing scene felt forced.
Even though I've used enough lukewarm adjectives that one would think I disliked it, I didn't honestly. It was a good time; a nice, easy horror movie, if there's such a thing.
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