1408 (2007)

1408 (2007) is an American psychological horror film based on Stephen King’s 1999 short story of the same name. Mike Enslin, a cynical and skeptical author known for his niche books about supernatural events, receives an anonymous postcard while promoting his latest book in Hermosa Beach, California. The postcard features The Dolphin, a hotel located on Lexington Avenue in New York City, with one simple message: ‘Don’t enter 1408’. Seeing this as a personal challenge, Mike decides to visit The Dolphin and specifically requests room 1408. However, the hotel manager Gerald Olin tries to dissuade him from staying there. According to Olin, no one has survived more than an hour in that room in the past century and there have been at least 56 deaths recorded. Despite Olin’s repeated and impassioned efforts to discourage him, Mike remains determined to stay in room 1408 and even threatens legal action against the hotel if necessary.

Reluctantly, preparations are made for Mike’s stay at The Dolphin. As Mike narrates the room’s dull appearance and lack of paranormal activity on his mini-cassette recorder as the ‘banality of evil’, suddenly The Carpenters’ ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ emerges from the clock radio and the digital display begins a countdown from 60:00. Ghostly apparitions of the room’s past victims appear before Mike, as he is haunted by memories of his late daughter Katie and sick father. Despite multiple attempts to escape, Mike is unable to leave the room. As the temperature rises rapidly, he reaches out to his estranged wife Lily for assistance through his laptop. However, the intense heat causes a malfunction in the sprinkler system, damaging the laptop. It only starts functioning again once the temperature drops to subzero levels.