1408 be the late hodge podge of cheap scare tactic . the kind that might make date movie style horror fan occasionally jump in their seat and scream in your ear and but disappoint audience search for a little depth and direction . john cusak play a writer who make a career of write book describe his experience of stay in rumor haunted hotel . despite assurance by patron and owner that ghost roam the hall and there be little to make him a real believer in the paranormal . when he learn of the history of room 1408 at the overlook hotel no wait and i mean and dolphin hotel in new york city he decide it would make the perfect closing chapter to his late book . but and samuel l. jackson and play the hotel owner and strongly attempt to dissuade his guest with narration of the atrocity that have occur in theat room since the hotel open many year ago . the story be simple and we and a possible skeptic and must sit through jackson lengthy foreshadow ramble . in other word represent be afraid . be very afraid . of course and it would be easy to convince audience that they have just pay to see an edge of the seat thriller if it do not take so long to build up to this point . and also and if what follow be a lot more than cheap boo that become so frequent and arbitrary that eventually and you might soon expect them . the temperature in the room change automatically . the wall drip with blood . the fearless writer can not open the door and etc . and after nearly an hour and a half of deliver these to audience promise big thrill and you might sit and hope that at least you can be wow by the end . with suspicion of dream sequence and other derivative time waster and even that fail to quell our doubt that before the movie be over and we might finally have something to make the movie a little less than completely forgettable . despite grand performance ( a always ) by cusak and who essentially be the entire film and most everyone else of note be waste ( i. e. samuel l. jackson ) in insignificant minor role . the true mystery here be how this movie receive such a high viewer rating . ballot stuff ghost .