Director Mikael Hafstrom's adaptation of Stephen King's short story 1408 is an immensely satisfying middle finger to screenwriting manuals and formulas everywhere, a movie that breaks the rules without feeling overly self-conscious or gimmicky. A skillful visualization of King's tale, as well as a film that works independently on its own terms, it proves that cinema is every bit as capable as the written word of conveying the internal qualities—thought, emotion, etc.—for which movies as an art form are supposedly ill-equipped. It's also extremely limited in terms of locations, with most of the action taking place inside one hotel room, yet it never feels static or overly theatrical. In fact, the most impressive thing about the movie is that for all it has in common with novels and plays, it's exhilaratingly cinematic—through impeccable camera placement, editing, and sound design, Hafstrom orchestrates an exercise in suspense that puts most of the summer franchise movies to shame.

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