Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is the cynical and sceptical author of several books debunking supernatural beliefs. Promoting his latest book in Hermosa Beach, California, he receives an anonymous postcard picturing the Dolphin Hotel on Lexington Avenue, New York, The postcard warns, “Don’t enter Room 1408.” He takes this as a challenge and travels to the hotel to take Room 1408. Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to discourage him, telling him that in 95 years no-one has lasted more than an hour in that room, and 56 of those people died. But Mike threatens to sue the hotel, and Olin reluctantly gives in.
On his mini-cassette recorder, Mike describes the room as boring. But the clock radio suddenly starts to play “We’ve only just begun,” and the digital display counts down from 60. He sees the ghosts of the past victims of the room and flashback images of his deceased daughter Kate (Jasmine Jessica Anthony) and his terminally ill father (Len Cariou). He tries to leave the room but cannot do so. He contacts his estranged wife Lily (Mary McCormack) on the computer and asks for help. The sprinkler system is activated by the high heat, short-circuiting the laptop, and then it starts up again as the room drops below zero. The image of himself appears on the laptop urging Lily to come to the room herself, with a sly wink for Mike.
The room shakes violently and Mike crashes into a picture of a ship in a storm, from which water pours into the room. He relives a surfing accident and finds himself recovering in the hospital, with Lily at his side talking about his nightmares of Room 1408. Lily suggests he write a book about it. At the post office, sending in the manuscript, he recognizes the Dolphin Hotel construction crew, who start tearing down the walls to reveal that he is still in Room 1408. Katie’s ghost appears and the clock countdown returns to 60. The room is restored.
The female voice of the hotel operator tells him he can either live the past hour over and over again or visit the express checkout, a hangman’s noose. But Mike creates a Molotov cocktail and sets the room on fire. Laughing, he leaves during the hotel’s evacuation and Olin praises him.
In another ending, he lives and reconciles with Lily, who is sceptical. He makes a recording work again and they hear Katy’s voice. In yet another ending, Lily doesn’t hear her voice—only Mike. In the original, Mike dies in the fire, but test audiences thought this was a downer, so in an alternate Mike frees all the dead souls from the room. Various versions of the film appeared on DVD, Blu-ray, Collectors’ editions, Canadian Space Network, Movie Network in the US, and editions in the UK and Australia and on Netflix.
The film was directed by Mikael Hafstrom and written by Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski, based on Stephen King’s short story from 1999. The Roosevelt Hotel in New York was used for exterior shots and the Reform Club in London for scenes in the lobby. The film received 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. Cusack’s acting was praised, and the film was called creepy rather than violent, using the author’s sly humour. It was compared to a Twilight Zone story and contrasted with the plethora of Saw movies that surrounded its release. Cusack did an extraordinary job of carrying virtually the entire movie, in my opinion