entertain

It seems that since the release of the multi-million dollar apparently "hair raising and horrific" phenomenon, The Ring, every other thriller since has desperately tried to follow in its footsteps with an array of ghastly children, supernatural forces, eerie foreign settings and ominous creatures. Although it may give you something better to do on a Friday night than Monday’s chemistry project, they are always essentially the same ideas with slightly different plots, and a new cast of hopeful actors. I for one have gotten tired of this ongoing trend and never-ending slew of strikingly similar films. For about two years I stayed faithful and ever hopeful, that maybe just maybe my countless ten dollar bills were going to a good cause, and I may have just found the one new different and maybe even *gasp* scary movie! Well, it goes without saying my efforts were in vain, and I found absolutely nothing. I gave up when I saw hands coming out of a chick’s head in the shower. Well, my hope came back to me when I saw the previews for 1408.

In the end it was all the same. The plot was dull, setting—mediocre, and outcome typical. The movie starts off interestingly enough with a man who critiques haunted places and decides to investigate the notorious 1408 room in a run-down yet elegant hotel. After being warned numerous times not to go by the hotel’s manager, the skeptic chooses to… Surprise, surprise… being the smart bunch I believe we are, I think we can all guess what he chooses to do. His check-in is followed by a series of odd visions, and overly dramatic paranormal activity, ultimately leading to the story of his deceased daughter and failing marriage. I won’t spoil the rest for you in case you do choose to watch it for yourself. Furthermore, the movie turns very repetitive towards the end, leaving you to wonder what the heck is going on.

In conclusion 1408 is obviously not something that I recommend, it continues the drought of good horror/psychological thrillers, and keeps me wondering, "Where have all the scary movies gone?"