1408

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

1408
Just in time for scary movie season, Stephen King's summer sleeper hit 1408 is coming out on DVD! The movie quietly opened over the summer and then surprisingly became the No. 2 movie at the box office in June, coming in ahead of the Fantastic Four sequel and just behind Evan Almighty.

John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a writer of horror fiction whose young daughter dies. He scoffs at the idea of paranormal activity and goes around discrediting allegations of ghosts and hauntings. However, when his work leads him to a haunted hotel room (number 1408) where "nobody lasts more than an hour," Mike starts to experience things he never knew were possible. Samuel L. Jackson plays the hotel manager. You can watch the preview for 1408 here.

Two more new titles so read more

Not only can Steve Carell get animals to board an ark — he can also entice people to go to the movies. Carell's Evan Almighty took the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office, bumping The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer from its temporary throne. But Evan didn't exactly attract a moviegoing flood of Biblical proportions. Considering that it was said to cost at least $175 million to make, chances are the movie's estimated $32.1 million take wasn't exactly the miracle its producers were hoping for.

Possibly the biggest surprise of the weekend was the John Cusack thriller 1408, which edged out Silver Surfer to take the No. 2 spot with just over $20 million. Variety notes that more than half of its ticket-buyers were women — maybe because it's a creepy but not gruesome horror film, maybe because John Cusack is just kind of awesome.

A Mighty Heart, on the other hand, took in just $4 million to finish in the No. 10 spot. Was the weighty biopic just too heavy for a breezy summer weekend?

Other notable results: Ocean's Thirteen nabbed the No. 4 spot with $11.3 million, while Knocked Up finished in fifth with more than $10 million, bringing its total for the summer to almost $109 million — which, incidentally, is about how much Judd Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin raked in overall. Those Pirates brought in another $7 million to finish at No. 6. Surf's Up, Shrek the Third and Nancy Drew rounded out the top 10.

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I've been dismissing the TV spots for 1408 because it just seemed a little on the cheesy side, but that was before I saw the full trailer. This creepy little preview actually made me jump several times. And since we were just talking about our favorite horror films being the ones that are ghostly and freaky but not full of torture and gore, 1408 seems to more than fit that bill.

Based on a short story by Stephen King, the movie follows Mike Enslin (John Cusack), a writer of horror fiction (familiar, eh King?) whose young daughter dies. Mike scoffs at the idea of paranormal activity and goes around discrediting allegations of ghosts and hauntings. However, when his work leads him to a haunted hotel room (with the room number 1408) where "nobody lasts more than an hour," Mike starts to experience things he never knew were possible. Samuel L. Jackson plays the hotel manager.

To let the spookiness begin, read more

John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson premiered their creepy horror flick 1408 this week in LA. In the film, which is based on a short story by Stephen King, John plays a paranormal specialist who checks into the room 1408 of a hotel in order to debunk the myth that it's haunted. Hilary Duff showed up to the premiere as well to support her costar in the upcoming film War, Inc. (previously Brand Hauser: Stuff Happens). The two have obviously become friends and John told MTV recently that he has nothing but respect for Ms Duff. Here's more:

• Is it true you requested [Hilary Duff for War, Inc.]?
  John: Yep. Well, the part was ... she played a pop idol from central Asia. So, she was like a Hilary — but not Hilary, because Hilary is so classy — but like a real, and I won't name names, but a real slutty pop star. ... Hilary is the opposite of that, of course. I think for her to play that, or to parody that, was really great.
• What's the biggest misconception [of her]?

  John: I think probably people wouldn't know how talented she is. I mean, she's a great actress. I just spent the entire fall with her and she was a revelation every day. I don't think people know that yet, but they're gonna.

Gee, I wonder what slutty pop star he could possibly be talking about? Luckily, Hilary works hard at setting herself apart from her pantyless trainwreck counterparts. Besides, she may be a pop star but she was an actress first so it's no wonder John was impressed with her talent. It will be interesting to see her play this parody of her counterparts.

For more pics including Haylie Duff, Samuel L. Jackson, Sophia Bush, and Tyrese just read more