Delayed Reaction: 1408

What I Guessed It Was About: John Cusack checks into a hotel for a night. Little does he know that the room they put him in is haunted. Bad things happen. Then good things appear to happen. Then it turns out those good things are part of the bad things that happen. It's based on a Stephen King story, so I'm going to assume that it doesn't have a happy ending.

How I Came Into It: I was aware that it is a Stephen King adaptation. 2007 was a busy summer for me in terms of seeing movies. I was nearly seeing a movie a week, which was a lot for me then. 1408 built up a reputation as a movie that was better than people expected (I heard a lot of people say "It was actually pretty good", which led me to wonder why they would see it if they didn't expect it would be good. Needless to say, I've rendered that reasoning moot at this point).

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) This is a simple, limited, effective movie. John Cusack carries it. I'm not sure just any actor could, even though I can't pinpoint what it is he does in it that's so effective. It's a slow build movie with a dark and fitting ending. The supporting cast is on point, namely Samuel L. Jackson and Mary McCormack.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Was the fakeout scenario at the end, when Cusack thinks he's out supposed to fool anyone? I can't tell, but I didn't think that for a second. So, the longer that went, it dragged.
Ok, a small gripe that's bothered me since I first saw the poster. John Cusack isn't that bland looking, but I never can tell that's him in the poster. Does he have a bland right side of his face? Do you need the full thing to identify him? Did poster art people soften his face beyond recognition? This bothers me [and probably me alone].

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend