Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Adapted from Stephen King's short story of the same name, 1408 proves itself one of the better King adaptations brought to the screen and one of the most compelling horror movies in recent times.  John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, cynic trying to cope with the death of his daughter and subsequent breakup of his marriage and skeptical author of books dealing with the paranormal who makes his living debunking hotel ghost stories. When he receives a postcard from The Dolphin Hotel in New York City that reads simply, "don't enter room 1408", Enslin is compelled to do just that.

Upon his arrival at The Dolphin, Enslin is taken aside by hotel manager Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) who does his best to dissuade Enslin from staying in 1408. He tells him of the 56 deaths that have occurred there and even bribes him with an $800 dollar bottle of Cognac. Enslin is not swayed and eventually checks in to the room. Things begin slowly, as Enslin starts to recite into his mini cassette recorder, commenting on the typical nature and cliché aspects of the room. But then Enslin begins to notice things, like chocolates appearing on his pillow, and he gets an inkling that something may be wrong. The alarm clock turns on, blasting The Carpenters "We've Only Just Begun" and starts counting down from 60 minutes. The room is alive -- or is it? Is Enslin imagining things? Did the hotel manager dose him with an hallucinogenic drug? He begins to slip into madness as the room itself becomes more and more violent and apparitions of those who died in the room before begin to appear.

Not since Jack Nicholson's performance in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining has there been a horror film with such emotional weight. The entire film rides on the performance of John Cusack  -- it's really a one-man film -- and he is up to the task. Like Nicholson in The Shining, Cusack runs the gamut of human emotions at a methodical pace and director Mikael Håfström coordinates just enough moments of suspense and "jumps" to keep the viewer riveted. The film falls apart somewhat in its ending, almost like the filmmakers didn't really know how to resolve everything satisfactorily, which is evidenced by the three different available endings. But, just as The Shining had a less than fulfilling conclusion but was still enjoyable, so is 1408. It may not be as classic as The Shining, but it makes at valiant attempt at coming very close to it.

The Picture

In the supplemental materials available on this disc it is revealed that the set designer worked very closely with the lighting and special effects crews to enable the room to be lit by the actual light fixtures that appear on camera. The look of 1408 does reflect that yellowish glow of incandescent lamplight one would expect to find indoors, particularly in such a hotel room. This Blu-ray release with its 1080/24p VC-1 transfer of 1408 in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 reflects that intentional look quite well. It has warm mid tones and the flesh tones are slightly less than accurate, but that is how it's meant to be. Black levels sometimes tend to crush, but contrast is good and detail in both foreground and background is excellent.

 Fine textures are put forth with great effect, from the cloth of John Cusack's jacket to the wallpaper in the room. The source looks pristine with a subdued level of grain consistent throughout, but unfortunately there are instances of edge enhancement that crop up and cause jaggies around edges of faces and clothing. This flaw is jarring and mars an otherwise pleasing presentation.

The Sound

1408 comes with a very good, but not excellent English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix in addition to an English Dolby Digital 5.1 option. At first listen, the sound design of 1408 is quite engaging. The surround channels are active throughout with various sound effects and a good level of ambience to expand the sound field. Low frequencies abound, giving the subwoofer a healthy workout. Still, the dynamic range is just a bit limited and the dialogue lacks a some clarity. Still, it's a strong mix that works well and aids in evoking a frightening mood and most will not be disappointed with it at all.

The Extras

1408 on Blu-ray Disc comes with all the extras from the previous DVD release and they are all offered up in standard definition just like the DVD as well. Although the extras are somewhat abundant, there is nothing compelling beyond perhaps the two alternate endings, which offer an interesting twist on how the film may have resolved.  Other than that, however, the supplemental materials are populated with the typical behind-the-scenes featurettes that lack much in the way of information and promo spots selling the film -- as if you didn't already have it in your player.

The extras available on this release are:

• Audio Commentary -- With director Mikael Håfström and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. This commentary offers some interesting insight into the film, but like most commentaries on these releases it is more burdensome and tedious to listen to than pleasurable. One interesting revelation is Håfström's admission that director Roman Polanski largely influenced him. But, typically, the audio commentary suffers from people talking over one another (mainly Håfström talking over the two writers), thus making it difficult to follow along.
• Alternate Ending #1 (2.35:1/standard definition)
• Alternate Ending #2 (2.35:1/standard definition)
• Deleted Scenes (2.35:1/standard definition) -- Five deleted scenes from 1408:
  • Contacting Lily
  • Wrought with Guilt
  • I Warned You About 1408
  • Tilting Room and Lily Pleads at Door
  • Arriving at the Dolphin
• Secrets of 1408 (1.78:1/standard definition) -- A series of four separate featurettes:
  • The Characters -- Behind-the-scenes interviews of the cast and crew mostly lavishing praise on one another and gushing about how wonderful it was to work on filming 1408. The two solid pieces of information gleaned from this featurette are that many of the effects in the film are actual physical effects as opposed to CGI and that Quentin Tarantino and Bob Weinstein recommended Samuel L. Jackson. 
  • The Director -- Profiles the director Mikael Håfström as he discusses filming 1408 and working with its cast and crew.
  • The Physical Effects -- This featurette puts the spotlight mainly on the underwater stage that was used to capture the sequences in the film where the room was flooded. 
  • The Production Design -- Focuses on the design of the room, which the filmmakers wanted to look ordinary but not banal. Interestingly, the set designer worked very closely with the film's effects and lighting crew, so that the lamps and light fixtures seen onscreen could light the set. 
• John Cusack on 1408 -- A Webisode (1.78:1/standard definition) -- An Internet promotional spot featuring John Cusack discussing the then yet-to-be-released film.
• Inside Room 1408 -- A Webisode (1.78:1/standar4d definition) -- Another Internet promotional spot featuring John Cusack, but this time his discussion focuses on the room's prominence in the film. 
• Theatrical Trailer (2.35:1/standard definition) -- The original theatrical trailer for 1408
  

Final Thoughts

Films such as this one that mine psychological territory to invoke fear are often far better than their counterparts that rely on blood and gore to shock us into being scared. John Cusack's brilliant emotional performance in 1408 makes this one of the better Horror films to come along in a long while. Despite its minor picture quality flaws, this Blu-ray disc release still makes for a pleasurable (and horrifying) viewing experience. I recommend this release without hesitation

Where to Buy

• 1408 on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actors: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Tony Shalhoub, Mary McCormack, Jasmine Jessica Anthony
• Director: Mikael Håfström
• Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
• Region: A
  
• Audio/Language: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13
• Studio: Genius Products
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: September 16, 2008
• Run Time: 126 minutes
• List Price: $29.95
• Extras:
  • 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