1408 [Blu-ray]

Director: Mikael Håfström, Mikael Hafstrom Mikael Håfström

Overview

A writer renowned for debunking infamous paranormal events is confronted by a force that he cannot explain upon checking into room 1408 of the notoriously haunted Dolphin Hotel. Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is an author who specializes in horror, but who only believes in what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands. Having constructed an entire career on his ability to dispel superstitious "haunted house" rumors, Mike is convinced that the afterlife is a manmade construct designed to offer false comfort to the weak minded. Mike's latest project is a book entitled "Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms," and it seems that in room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, this skeptical scribe may finally find proof of the supernatural. Implored by the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson) not to enter room 1408, Mike defiantly procures the key and prepares to dispel yet another spectral sham. Now, as is the case with many of life's most profound epiphanies, the writer who thought he knew it all is caught entirely off guard at the precise moment he least expected it. Subsequently faced with undeniable proof of an afterlife, Mike may have a best-seller on his hands if he can simply survive until sunrise. Mary McCormack and Jasmine Jessica Anthony co-star in director Mikael H?fstr?m's (Derailed) adaptation of an original short story by horror icon Stephen King.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/16/2008
UPC:	0796019815246
Original Release:	2007
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Weinstein Company
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00
Sales rank:	14,466

Special Features

Feature commentary by director Mikael Håfström and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski; Alternate endings; Deleted scenes with optional commentary; The secrets of 1408; John Cusack on 1408; Inside room 1408; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Cusack	Mike Enslin
Samuel L. Jackson	Mr. Olin
Mary McCormack	Lilly Enslin
Tony Shalhoub	Sam Farrell
Jasmine Jessica Anthony	Gracie
Christopher Carey	Fireman,Fireman
Len Cariou	Father
Paul Kasey	Kevin O'Malley
Alexandra Silber	Young Woman at Book Signing
Paul Birchard	Mr. Innkeeper
Margot Leicester	Mrs. Innkeeper
Walter Lewis	Cashier
Eric Meyers	Man One at Book Signing
David Nicholson	Man Two at Book Signing
Johann Urb	Surfer Dude
Andrew Lee Potts	Mailbox Guy
Emily Harvey	Secretary
William Armstrong	Clay
Kim Thomson	Desk Clerk
Drew Powell	Assistant Hotel Manager
Noah Lee Margetts	Bellboy Noah,Actor
Gil Cohen-Alloro	Maitre d'
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	Engineer
Benny Urquidez	Claw Hammer Maniac
Ray Nicholas	Factory Owner
Tina Maskell	1950s Lady
George Cottle	Mailbox Worker No. 1
Julian Spencer	Mailbox Worker No. 2
William Willoughby	Mailbox Worker No. 3
Angel Oquendo	Taxi Cab Driver
Thomas A. McMahon	Cop No. 1
Anthony C. Mazza	Cop No. 2,Cop #2
Kevin Dobson	le prêtre
Holly Hayes	Lady at Book Signing
Peter Conboy	Man outside Hotel Fire
Bernadette Lords	Hotel Guest
Rob McGillivray	Bellboy
Jacob Whiteshed	Bellboy
Gabriel Yared	Composer

Technical Credits

Larry Karaszewski

Matt Greenberg

Scott Alexander

Stephen King

Larry Karaszewski	Screenwriter
Lorenzo Di Bonaventura	Producer
Sean Farrow	Special Effects
Elaine Grainger	Casting
Lucinda Syson	Casting
Gregory J. Barnett	Stunts
Keith Campbell	Stunts
Paul Herbert	Stunts
Jake Myers	Producer,Executive Producer
Richard Saperstein	Producer,Executive Producer
Mikael Håfström	Director
Matt Greenberg	Screenwriter
Bob Weinstein	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer,Producer
Eri Adachi	Special Effects
Philip Alton	Sound Effects
Ricky Butt	Sound Effects
Tim Cavagin	Sound Effects
Jeff Erdmann	Sound Effects
Amber Howorth	Sound Effects
Scott Alexander	Screenwriter
Stephen King	Screenwriter
Kelly Dennis	Producer
Antonia Kalmacoff	Producer
Jeremy Steckler	Producer
Brian Simmons	Sound/Sound Designer
Nigel Mills	Sound/Sound Designer
Mikael Hafstrom	Director

Editorial Reviews

A taut, compact ghost story that also manages to weave a satisfying tale of psychological descent, 1408 may not offer much new to Stephen King fans, but it does manage to quicken the pulse more than a few times during its terse 94-minute running time. While many longtime King devotees may regard 1408 as little more than an abbreviated cannibalization of themes already covered to potent effect in The Shining (an accusation that may well be of merit if one is inclined to judge an artist on his earlier body of work), director Mikael Håfström and his screenwriting team deliver a solid little frightener that still proves malevolently unpredictable and comes off more like a feature-length Twilight Zone episode than a forgotten page out of the pop-horror specialist's formidable bibliography. Readers know that King's stories are frequently punctuated by tormented characters who stumble upon an inexplicable phenomenon that is initially beyond their comprehension but slowly overtakes every aspect of their existence -- and with his tragic past and hardened skepticism, supernatural debunker Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is the perfect King protagonist. Yet, despite the fact that Enslin is a character that virtually any King fan will instantly recognize, actor Cusack does well to inject the familiar King archetype with just enough identifiable human emotion to make him a believable person as well. Likewise, screenwriters Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, and Matt Greenberg fare decidedly well in their efforts to toy with the viewer by subverting various ghost-story standards and drawing on the kind of nightmare logic that is sure to shake anyone who has struggled to awaken from a quickly worsening nightmare -- a tense scene on the ledge of a tall building being a decidedly potent example of this. Released into theaters at a time when many high-minded critics were vehemently lamenting the proliferation of such sadistic horror films as Hostel and Saw, 1408 draws on such classics as The Haunting and The Innocents in order to deliver supernatural thrills that never get too graphic for the future generation of horror enthusiasts.