“It’s an evil f-ing room.”

Hearing that description from the manager of the hotel would be enough to keep most people away. But as a rule, the characters in horror stories are idiots. Told countless times not to go somewhere or do something, the morons reliably defy warnings and deservedly end up dead because of it. To its credit, 1408, which is based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, at least gives its protagonist a reason to ignore the ghastly warnings and proceed undeterred, and in doing so it becomes a smart supernatural thriller with some genuine scares.

Too bad the ending doesn’t follow suit. For as firmly as you’re hooked for the first hour of the 94-minute movie, the conclusion dissipates into senseless contrivances that cause the story to almost completely fall apart.

“It’s just a room,” Mike Enslin (John Cusack) says of room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York City, even after being sternly warned about its haunted past. The supposed paranormal activity is exactly why he’s there: He’s a supernatural writer who specializes in investigating haunted houses, graveyards, etc., and is so jaded he’s forgotten how to be scared. He’s looking for a challenge, and wants to find something scary.

Once there, it doesn’t take long for him to start regretting his decision. Inexplicable turn-down service of the toilet paper and bed is one thing, but when he starts seeing his deceased daughter (Jasmine Jessica Anthony) and estranged wife (Mary McCormack) he wisely decides it’s time to leave. But he can’t. He’s trapped.

Many other hallucinatory experiences occur from there, including seeing the ghosts of the other 56 people who’ve died in the room and a foreboding digital clock that has started to count down from 60 minutes. “Nobody lasts more than an hour,” he remembers the hotel manager, Gerald (Samuel L. Jackson), saying with cryptic verve, and now Mike realizes that his descent into madness is irreversible.

While Jackson is good in limited screen time, the movie really belongs to Cusack, who’s often alone in 1408 with nothing to work with but his imagination. Although he’ll always be a great romantic lead, kudos to him for stepping outside people’s expectations and carrying a movie in which his standard simplistic charm is not enough. He shows a wide range of emotion here, and does so very well.

In a subtle way, the story is metaphorically about a man who’s stuck at a point in his life and must deal with his past before moving on with his future. These themes are buried, though, under the carefully designed and often scintillating scares, which get progressively creepier as they occur one after another in a fit of well-crafted madness.

If the personal drama were better developed, the film could’ve transcended its thriller genre and become something more substantial. But director Mikael Håfström’s film is ultimately a standard thriller with a third act that veers into the realm of true absurdity.

My advice is to see the first hour, then leave and draw your own conclusion. It’s bound to be better than what the movie offers.

Comments? E-mail dhudak22@yahoo.com.

1408  **1/2 Directed by Mikael Håfström. Written by Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, based on Stephen King’s short story. Starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Tony Shalhoub. Rated PG-13. **** A genuine must-see *** Entertaining ** Mediocre but not worthless * A wretched waste of time Also opening in Miami-Dade County this Friday: A Mighty Heart, Brooklyn Rules, Evan Almighty, La Vie En Rose, Paprika, Live Free or Die Hard (June 27).