1408 (4K UHD Review)
Director
Mikael HåfströmRelease Date(s)
2007 (April 29, 2026)Studio(s)
Dimension Films/Di Bonaventura Pictures (Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian 4K Ultra HD import.]
What started as a writing example in Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft turned into a full short story and audiobook, was later included in his short story collection Everything’s Eventual, and was eventually adapted into a film in 2007; introducing audiences to Mike Enslin and the Dolphin Hotel, specifically room 1408. Besides becoming a critical and commercial success, especially at a time when many horror films were more about viscera than atmosphere, it’s also one of the better Stephen King adaptations, mostly because his voice carries through to the final film, even if some things have changed along the way.
Horror novelist Mike Enslin (John Cusack) travels the country spending the night in places that are purportedly haunted. A cynical man, he doesn’t believe in ghosts, and writes about his experiences in a series of paperbacks. He’s also running from his past, having left his wife (Mary McCormack) after the death of their young daughter Katie (Jasmine Jessica Anthony). One day he receives a postcard from The Dolphin hotel in New York City with the message “Don’t Enter 1408.” Curiosity intrigued, he immediately attempts to book the room, but is initially ignored. Eventually with the help of his publisher (Tony Shaloub), he’s authorized to do so, but not before the hotel’s manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson), tries to dissuade him by discussing the room’s dark history, informing him that no one has occupied it in 95 years. Undeterred, Mike stays in the room anyway, and soon finds that there may be something not just supernatural about the room, but truly evil. Also in the cast are Len Cariou, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Benny Urquidez.
The most intriguing aspect of 1408 is that we never discover why the room is the way it is. Not knowing the how and why is actually refreshing. We don’t need an explanation as to what it is that’s haunting this room, it just is. Even in the original short story, Stephen King doesn’t solve that mystery, and the story is all the better for it. It’s not about the room itself, but Mike Enslin surviving it. Some of the added elements, including Enslin’s past with his wife and daughter, which does come into play as the film goes on, definitely feels like the screenwriters (Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski) attempting to shoehorn in more relatable material for audiences. It never entirely fits and feels a little perfunctory, but the other elements are so strong that it can be forgiven.
1408 was made primarily with physical effects and centers on John Cusack’s performance, which some have criticized during some of his more extreme moments. On the contrary, they always feels genuine, especially for someone who’s essentially losing his mind. Samuel L. Jackson taking up the role of Olin is definitely a swerve since in the original story that character is a short, balding, and chubby white man. Yet at the same time, he also works in the role and gives him an imposing presence for John Cusack’s energy to bounce off of. They unfortunately couldn’t incorporate all of the things from the story, including Mike Enslin perceiving the door of the room to be crooked before entering, feelings of nausea, the disturbing voice on the phone that sounds like an “electric hair-clipper that has learned how to talk,” and the room’s pictures transforming into disturbing images. Most of Mike Enslin’s inner dialogue, as well as what he speaks into the tape recorder, didn’t translate to the screen either.
Nevertheless, 1408 has loads of atmosphere, even if it isn’t perfect on all sides. I personally could have spent ninety minutes or more with the short story translated almost as-is, but that’s not for a mainstream audience. John Cusack is an excellent Mike Enslin and director Mikael Håfström manages to bring the essence of Stephen King to the screen well, adding in small touches along the way, such as Mike Enslin signing his autographs with “Stay scared!” and proclaiming that “ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties” don’t exist, which is straight from the original story. In other words, they did a lot right with 1408, while also making an effective supernatural thriller.
Cinematographer Benoît Delhomme shot 1408 on 35mm (Kodak Vision2 100T 5212, Vision2 200T 5217, Vision2 500T 5218) with Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL cameras and Panavision Primo lenses. The results were finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate and framed theatrically at the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Via Vision Entertainment ports over the content from Lionsgate’s Amazon-exclusive 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release, which includes the theatrical and director’s cut versions, upscaled from the original DI. They’ve also been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to two triple-layered BD-100 discs. Since the theatrical cut never made it past DVD, having it on Ultra HD, as well as Blu-ray, is a wrong that’s finally been righted. Both UHD discs in this package are the same Lionsgate discs from the Steelbook release, right down to the artwork on the discs. This is a good thing since the presentations are quite good, looking better than one might have imagined from an upscale of a nearly 20-year-old Digital Intermediate. They’re not perfect as the light to medium grain isn’t entirely solid and the opening fade-up is a little wonky, but it’s an otherwise solid UHD upgrade. Bitrates sit somewhere in the 70 to 100Mbps range at any given time, and detail is far tighter over previously releases. Some of the footage in the director’s cut isn’t up to the same standards, but it blends well enough. There’s some very mild speckling that you’d need a magnifying glass to spot, but the whole of the presentation is clean and film-like. Saturation isn’t as overtly sickly-looking as previous releases, looking less yellow-tinged and leaning more towards green. Other hues are strong and blacks are fairly deep with terrific contrast, thanks to an appropriate use of HDR. A ground-up restoration from the camera negative would have been more ideal, but this is still a major upgrade of both cuts of the film.
Audio for the theatrical cut is included in English Dolby Atmos while the director’s cut features a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track, both with subtitle options in English, English SDH, and Spanish. Clearly the theatrical cut got the most attention in the sound department, and it soars, opening up the soundtrack up at key moments in the overheads while maintaining the intended sound design. There’s great bass response and a bevy of atmospherics all around the sound stage, with dialogue that comes through clearly. The 5.1 track is quite good in and of itself, but with obviously less room to move around in.
The Via Vision Entertainment Limited Edition 4-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of 1408 sits in a black Amaray case alongside two 1080p Blu-ray discs that were previously included in their 2024 Blu-ray release. Everything is housed in 3D lenticular side-loading hardcase packaging with a set of 6 artcards, which is individually numbered and limited to 2,000 units. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE: UHD (THEATRICAL CUT)
- Don’t Enter 1408 (HD – 21:58)
DISC TWO: UHD (DIRECTOR’S CUT)
- Audio Commentary with Mikael Håfström, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski
- Archival Bonus Content:
- Alternate Endings (Upscaled SD – 2 in all – 10:39)
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Mikael Håfström, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski (SD – 5 in all – 11:23):
- Contacting Lily (Upscaled SD – 4:36)
- Wrought with Guilt (Upscaled SD – 1:09)
- “I Warned You About 1408” (Upscaled SD – 1:57)
- Tilting Room and Lily Pleads at Door (Upscaled SD – 2:40)
- Arriving at the Dolphin (Director’s Cameo) (Upscaled SD – :59)
- The Secrets of 1408:
- The Characters (Upscaled SD – 8:00)
- The Director (Upscaled SD – 5:14)
- The Physical Effects (Upscaled SD – 4:18)
- The Production Design (Upscaled SD – 5:24)
- John Cusack on 1408 – A Webisode (Upscaled SD – 2:33)
- Inside Room 1408 – A Webisode (Upscaled SD – 2:07)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:33)
DISC THREE: BD (THEATRICAL CUT)
- Alternate Ending #1 (SD – 5:28)
- Alternate Ending #2 (SD – 5:11)
- Deleted Scenes (SD – 5 in all – 11:23)
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Mikael Håfström, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski (SD – 5 in all – 11:23)
- John Cusack on 1408 (SD – 2:33)
- Inside Room 1408 (SD – 2:07)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:33)
- The Secrets of 1408:
- The Characters (SD – 8:00)
- The Director (SD – 5:14)
- The Physical Effects (SD – 4:18)
- The Production Design (SD – 5:24)
DISC FOUR: BD (DIRECTOR’S CUT)
- Audio Commentary with Mikael Håfström, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski
- 1408: The Premiere (SD – 5:43)
For me personally, the theatrical cut of 1408 works the best, especially given the ending in the director’s cut, which was changed after test screenings. Dimension Films clearly spent some money trying to get the film right since there are a total of four endings that were shot. The theatrical ending doesn’t entirely work for me, though its alternate version, which is included in the extras, does. Truthfully, there is no perfect ending for this film. In the original story, Mike Enslin lives on with health problems, both physically and mentally, and stops writing. This is never stated explicitly in the theatrical cut, but they do attempt to do a little something with it.
As for the extras, Don’t Enter 1408 speaks to director Mikael Håfström retrospectively about his experiences making the film. Next is the DVD-era audio commentary with Håfström and screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. It’s a fun chat between the three about the making of the film, leaning more towards the characters and situations, and how things were written. They get along well each other, making for an interesting and entertaining listen.
The two Alternate Endings offer two more ways that the film could have concluded, though I daresay that one of them (as I stated previously) works better than the theatrical ending. The Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Håfström, Alexander, and Karaszewski showcase how the film was altered from its first cut, since some of the scenes shown here were either altered, cut down, or re-shot completely. (The creation of some even made into the following promotional materials.)
The Secrets of 1408 examines the film’s characters, its director, the physical special effects, and the production design. Participants include Mikael Håfström, John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, special effects supervisor Paul Corbould, special effects workshop supervisor Jason McCameron, and production designer Andrew Laws. John Cusack on 1408 and Inside Room 1408 (aka 1408: Inside the Room) are promotional webisodes featuring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Corbould, and Jason McCameron. Last is the theatrical trailer and 1408: The Premiere, which features a set of red carpet interviews prior to the film’s premiere with Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Kevin Dobson, Mikael Håfström, John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Jasmine Jessica Anthony, and Tony Shaloub.
It’s worth noting that the 2007 Region 2 DVD release by Dutch FilmWorks in Holland contains some exclusive extras not carried over to any other release, including additional red carpet premiere footage; separate interviews with Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, Mary McCormack, and Mikael Håfström; a set of production notes; and a photo gallery.
What the Via Vision Entertainment 4-Disc Ultra HD release of 1408 has over its Lionsgate counterpart is including the theatrical version on Blu-ray and the 1408: The Premiere featurette. As such, this is the most complete home media package for this film available, and it’s a great one. Highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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