Olin later approaches lily and enslins agent at his funeral, where he unsuccessfully attempts to give back a box of enslins possessions, including his tape recorder. It is the third tale in the audiobook collection blood and. The movie 1408 is about a hotel room in new york city that is haunted by an evil presence. I loved the premise and seeing hancock start as this sarcastic, alcoholic, bitter hero whos hated by everyone turn into an actual hero that people look up to. The best stephen king movies, ranked from worst to best. I watched when the film came out in theatres, nor was it the same as the book. Alternative original ending director mikael hafstrom has stated that the ending for 1408 was reshot because test audiences felt that the original ending was too much of a downer. Yet, the ending audiences saw in theaters was the end result of big changes to the original conclusion. Heres the creepy true story behind horror movie 1408.
None of the four endings match the ending of kings original short story. American horror movies that originally had much more. The original discarded ending had mike dying from his fire injuries, but happy to see the room destroyed. In the short story 1408, what exactly was the room of. The only unusual thing about it is that i never intended to finish it. Mike enslin is a skeptic and author who debunks supernatural occurrences after the untimely death of his daughter katie. Jackson, mary mccormack, tony shalhoub, len cariou, isiah whitlock, jr. Subscribe for more and leave your opinion and suggestions down. In addition to the ending that appears in the theatrical release version, three other endings were shot.
In the final cuts ending, he sets the room on fire and is rescued by firefighters just in time. In the introduction to the story, king says that 1408 is his version of what he calls the ghostly room at. It is the third tale in the audiobook collection blood and smoke, released in 1999. The film was released in the united states on june 22, 2007, although july which in 2007 fell on a friday is. In 2002, 1408 was collected in written form as the 12th story in kings collection everythings eventual. Stephen king writes so many books that even one of his pseudonyms is a famous author. The third part of a film series covering the opening arc of the long running mangaanime series berserk, this iteration began in 2012 and concluded with this feature in 20. So a lot of people feel that the book ends abruptly and was lacking an epilogue. The original ending, available on the twodisc collectors edition, sees the back draft engulfing the room as enslin hides under the table, happy to see. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device.
Research for a new book leads enslin to the supposedly haunted room 1408 at new york citys highend dolphin hotel. Olin goes to mikes funeral and tries to give back some of mikes belongings to his wife but hes turned down by her and mikes agent sam tony shalhoub. I found that disappointing in that it appeared that the producers of the film attempted to make it some how more unsettling, but i found the original ending much more clever. While many longtime king devotees may regard 1408 as little more than an abbreviated cannibalization of themes already. American horror movies that originally had much more sinister. I was interested in seeing 1408 when it first came out over ten years ago, but i didnt want to get strung along for a stephen king ending. I did some research and discovered that the selfpublished version of the book doesnt just end with watney getting aboard the. Its long, and at times, not easy to sit through, but if youre a fan of stephen king, you should be used to that.
While there, he encounters things that he thought others were lying about. Its the only one of his i havent read so i dont know which ending was in the book. When the camera pans out, viewers see her surrounded by the creatures. In the short story 1408, what exactly was the room of the. A novel writer named mike enslin visits the dolphin hotel in search of the cursed room 1408, where over 50 people have already died. After his latest book, he receives an anonymous postcard depicting the dolphin, a hotel on lexington avenue in new. Audiences were bored to tears by the original ending, in which dan is charged with murder while an alex voiceover confesses suicide. The film was released in the united states on june 22, 2007, although july is mentioned as the.
A bad ending can be a dealbreaker for filmgoers, which is why studios often shoot alternate endings. The running man was the last book he wrote before his cover was blown, and the movie adaptation starring arnold schwarzenegger has been cited as a frighteningly accurate dystopian work. Mike enslin writes books evaluating supernatural phenomena in hotels, graveyards and other haunted places, usually debunking the mystery. He travels to new york to spend one night in room 1408 of the dolphin hotel, which is permanently unavailable for guests. Jackson, based on a stephen king short story by the same name cusack plays horror writer mike enslin, who specializes in investigating supposedly haunted houses and other sites of supernatural activity, which he has documented previously in books like ten haunted graveyards and ten haunted mansions. Directed by swedish filmmaker mikael hafstrom, 1408 was released back in 2007 and hailed as one of the best horror movies of that year. Deleted movie endings better than the original youtube. It is directed by mikael hafstrom and stars john cusack, samuel l. Jun 22, 2007 the ending was something i loved about the movie for its ambiguity. He doesnt have any idea why they have two endings for 1408.
After his latest book, he receives an anonymous postcard of the dolphin hotel. As well as the everpopular premature burial, every writer of shocksuspense tales should write at least one story about the ghostly room at the inn. It starred john cusack as mike enslin, a paranormal skeptic who pens books debunking supernatural occurrences. The first film on this list is perhaps the most difficult to recommend as it is impossible to fully appreciate on its own. Although i preferred the ending where enslin survived, i bought the dvd and i only. The hidden meaning behind stephen kings 1408 youtube.
Enslin a book documenting the 56 deaths that occurred in room 1408 over the. Someone spoiled the ending for me before i even had a chance to see it, and i was still disappointed. A writer committed to debunking ghosts ends up prisoner in an evil hotel room, where he is. Its hard to feel that several acts of statutory rape, child molestation, or whatever you want to call it are setting up a triumphant finish. John cusack plays a man who is dealing poorly with the death of his daughter and his strained relationship with his exwife. Everybody who has ever stayed there has died in the room, until eventually the hotel manager had to close. Tv and movie news 1408s original ending was much darker. Jackson as olin, 1408 was a critical and commercial hit, and is generally considered one of the best kingbased movies to date. 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 94minute running time. I was interested in seeing 1408 when it first came out over ten years ago, but i didnt.
The one movie king ever directed, and well, you know, stephen king is a wonderful writer who should probably stick with writing. In this video i attempt to analysis the meaning behind the infamous film 1408, based in the well known short story by stephen king. Slasher films can shock by pushing the boundaries of blood and gore, but the gimmick is short lived and one usually forgets them five minutes after leaving the theater. A novel writer named mike enslin visits the dolphin hotel in search of the cursed room 1408, where over 50.
His wife has a look of disbelief and he cracks the faintest little smile. Jul 29, 2014 audiences were bored to tears by the original ending, in which dan is charged with murder while an alex voiceover confesses suicide. Spoilers original ending to the book so a lot of people feel that the book ends abruptly and was lacking an epilogue. The alternate endings of 28 famous movies mental floss. Scifi played the most atrocious alternative ending ive ever seen, completely ruining the movie for both of us, and now my movie selection reputation is ruined for her. It was first read by king for his 1999 audiobook collection blood and smoke. He decides to stay in haunted hotel rooms to prove they are fake. The descent 2005 the original ending, that actually made its way into the international version, involved the last remaining survivor waking up in the cave alone thinking she had survived. Following an author who writes about all manner of haunted locations, the film observes the effects of a reputedly haunted hotel room on that writer. Take it at face value and its a normal ending with the main character getting out alive but his recorder happened to have caught the part where he spoke to his daughter in 1408 as the wife looks on in disbelief to unsettle the audience and give it an ominous feel as opposed to a cheezy happy ending it seemed to be headed for. Jun 22, 2007 the ending of his halp smirk was a little confusing which made me wonder was the recording of his little girl to clue him that he is still in hell or was it his wifes hell from killing herself from the grief of the the loss of the two deaths.
A horror films powerful and discontinued ending medium. Jul 16, 2018 i was interested in seeing 1408 when it first came out over ten years ago, but i didnt want to get strung along for a stephen king ending. I built the ending of this movie up to her tvlling her it might be my favorite ending ever. Feb 14, 2018 a bad ending can be a dealbreaker for filmgoers, which is why studios often shoot alternate endings. Oct 03, 2007 director mikael hafstrom has stated that the ending for 1408 was reshot because test audiences felt that the original ending was too much of a downer.
Being a suspense and thriller it is a great choice for adults and mature audiences. Mar 10, 2020 heres the creepy true story behind horror movie 1408. Surprisingly, a lot of them are actually better than the ones we end up seeing. Olin plays in his car the tape mike used during his stay in 1408. The movie was directed by mikael hafstrom from a screenplay written by matt greenberg, scott alexander, and larry karaszewski. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, however, as it was. One of the most talkedabout film endings on the internet, 1408 occupies a space in the movie world where it doesnt seem to have an official ending. A first alternate ending has mike still setting the room on fire as well, but dying alongside it, then sam reading the manuscript of the book 1408 he wrote before.
The ending was something i loved about the movie for its ambiguity. Best stephen king movie and tv show adaptations insider. Oct 31, 2017 in this video i attempt to analysis the meaning behind the infamous film 1408, based in the well known short story by stephen king. See more ideas about movies, i movie and about time movie.
The creepy true story that inspired the movie screen rant. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Interestingly, neither the actual or alternative endings on the dvd are the one i. When it comes to haunted hotels, king likely crafted the definitive story of that very specific subgenre with his classic novel the shining, which was of course adapted into an iconic 1980 film by director stanley kubrick. When 1408 is one of those movies youre either going to. Mar 22, 2020 starring john cusack as enslin and samuel l. Expanding on stephen kings short story, mikael hafstroms 1408 is a solid horror film that misses opportunities to be striking. In the end, enslin sleeps with his lights on, has removed all his houses phones, and. Jackson, based on a stephen king short story by the same name cusack plays horror writer mike enslin, who specializes in investigating supposedly haunted houses and other sites of supernatural activity, which he has documented previously in books like ten haunted graveyards and ten. A man who specialises in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the dolphin hotel.
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