That's especially true when the phone operator informs him that the room is, in short, perpetually booked. Having received an anonymous postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in New York City that warns him not to enter room 1408, Mike's interest is obviously piqued. Despite making a living from the public's fascination with ghosts, he doesn't believe in them, God, or the hereafter, mainly due to the untimely death of his young daughter Katie (JASMINE JESSICA ANTHONY), a personal tragedy that eventually caused him to abandon his wife, Lily (MARY McCORMACK), back in New York. PLOT: Mike Enslin (JOHN CUSACK) is a California-based travel guide author who writes about various ghostly haunts. QUICK TAKE: Horror: An author of ghostly haunts travel books finds his skeptical resolve challenged when he checks into a reportedly haunted hotel room with a record of many deaths occurring within it. But in its execution, 1408 is far more indebted to classic horror films such as the original 1963 version of THE HAUNTING.(2007) (John Cusack, Samuel L. Like THE SHINING, this is based on writing from horror master Stephen King, and it's a similarly creepy tale set in a hotel. A lot of the credit is due to the film's sound crew, whose detailed work goes far in giving 1408 its unsettling feeling. This is the second English-language film from director Mikael Hafstrom (DERAILED), and he does a good job of establishing tension.

He's in practically every frame of the film, often alone, and he's great at making the audience share in his fear. No one has lasted more than an hour in 1408, and Mike has his work cut out for him.Though Cusack got his acting pedigree in comedies, he proves he's able to adeptly carry a horror film. Jackson, BLACK SNAKE MOAN), Mike resolves to stay in the haunted room. Despite the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Room 1408 has been the site of dozens of deaths, and this is a selling point for the skeptic in Mike. His stays in haunted hotels never shake him, but he's intrigued by New York's Dolphin Hotel.

John Cusack (IDENTITY) plays Mike Enslin, a gifted writer who has turned his talents to paranormal travel books. Though it's far less gory than its peers, it has frightening moments and a creepy mood throughout.

The PG-13 rating given to 1408 belies this film's truly terrifying effects on its audience.

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