1408: The Philosophical Depths That Horror Can Reach 

What an awesome, epic spectacle of a video essay. I've always liked this movie but never had the amount of appreciation for its layers that I do now after seeing this. Keep up the great work, guys!

It's also interesting to note that room 1408 means the 8th room on floor 14. However, most tall buildings don't have 13th floor because it is considered unlucky. Usually jumping from floor 12 to 14. This means room 1408 is on the wrongly labeled 13th floor. Making it room 1308, which is the year the Divine Comedy began being written.

Does anyone else think John Cusack gave an awesome performance in this film? I thought he did great. Especially in parts where sudden realization sets in for him and how he reacts to them. It’s like you can actually see his mind taking a brief moment to register what just happened. Like when he suddenly believes he’s being spied on by a camera in the ceiling vent. Or when he’s crawling through the vent looking down into the other room, and she looks up at him, then he yells “Jesus Christ!” And recoils. And obviously one of the most important ones, when he has the whole “I was out!” scene.

1408 still holds up. So intense and psychologically terrifying.

What really freaks me out about this movie, is that it really reminds me of when I had a horrible trip on acid. I experienced, what felt like, a never ending cycle of horrible events repeating over and over, which I thought was hell, and that satan was torturing me, and every time I thought it was about to stop, it would start over again, and it really truly felt like this movie in a sense.

That is high-end analysis documentary-style. You really can't get this level of quality from Netflix and Hulu. Bravo sir 10 out of 10 that was just a damn good video

"as you are, i was, as i am, you will be", terrifying reality

This is such an underrated movie. Not enough people reference or have even seen this movie.

7:47 "As you are, I was. As I am, you will be." - best scene ever.

That window scene is one of the most effective scenes I have ever seen in a horror movie. I absolutely love it.

That awful parking job that Mike pulls 9:20 at the post office is why he gets it in the end.

1408 was attacked by critics and called mediocre when it released, but that's total bullshit, this is a classic and one of John's best performances!

Dante's Divine Comedy was, first & foremost, a political commentary on how everyone in Florence sucked for kicking him out

Is it me or is this video extremely well written? The research done on this movie is mind boggling. It's great. I was absorbed for 30 minutes.

1408 was such a hardcore story from King at the time. The thing that struck me when I listened to the audiobook is that, unlike many of his stories that deal with evil, this one had a very hard edge with absolutely no hint of the "tongue in cheek." -- just the purest, most straightforward, succinct, compact, concentrated example of something evil that I think King ever wrote. Short and sweet, and 100% black as hell.

I NEVER considered 1408 to be a depiction of the inferno.. well done sir

That "I WAS OUT" moment resonates with anyone who has ever gotten back with an ex and realized you done fucked up getting back in again.

Still the creepiest part to me melting phone-- "ignore the siren, even if you leave this room you can never leave this room...we have killed your friends... Every friend is now dead"

This is the movie I reference when someone asks what a "bad trip" feels like in your mind.

I didn't even notice that this video is almost half an hour long. I'm honestly amazed this movie explanation is well explained. Though I watched a different version of this movie where he actually died.

I love people who "see through" a movie, not just "watching" a movie. thank you for this :)

Samuel Jackson: 52 people have died in this room. Main Character: yeah nothing suspicious about that.

Did this movie actually receive that negative criticism you mentioned in the beginning!? I fucking LOVED every single thing about this movie.

17:17 - 17:41 - That scene kinda cracks me up. After Samuel L Jackson is gone from the scene, Just shows John Cusask screaming “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!” “WHAT DO YOU WAAAAANT” at the inside of a refrigerator. And on top of that, it shows him attacking the inside of the fridge too. 🤣 I just thought it was a funny looking sight.

I remember watching this movie in theaters as a child with my dad and I just recall leaving really disappointed because I didn’t understand the movie but I vividly remember my dad being solemn and quiet after exiting the theatre and on the drive home too I thought he didn’t like the movie either so I just didn’t bring it up again, now years later and with help from this video I realize that my dad probably saw something in this movie that resembled his own life and conflicts, he passed away years ago so I can’t talk to him about it and I feel bad that I won’t ever know the kind of burdens he carried and what he was afraid of

Ordinarily “they were dead the whole time”/“layers of hell” analyses are incredibly cliche and bad - but since this movie actually makes a direct reference to dante it’s one of the few where it’s a completely valid interpretation. The actual structure doesn’t quite line up with the divine comedy but I think it’s definitely intentional that all the circles’ punishments are there. Anyway, you make great video essays! Thanks for selling me on a movie I’d never heard of before!

This movie always fascinated me because it's like a bad trip & I can relate to the terror of feeling trapped in an alternate reality

God, the Doppelganger part was just pure darkness in a video

1408 has been my favorite horror film for as long as I can remember. I love psychological horror so much because rather than relying on jump scares, it relies on your mind and this movie focuses solely on that. I love how the room was a physical version of his own hell and how it would use every weakness he had against him. It’s a brilliant movie and I always felt like it had an even deeper underlying meaning and I feel like you found that. This video essay was so amazing, ;-; thank you for giving this movie the recognition it deserves

I like the ending where he finds the tape recorder and his ex realizes it was all real.

God, that ending... No idea why they'd change it. Just the main character staring at his loving wife, who he knew never believed him until this moment... Brilliant and cathartic.

1408 has always been my favorite horror movie. It’s beyond underrated and I appreciate it more than ever after this video essay 💗

This was great! 1408 remains one of the best psychological horrors ever made.

The firemen who save him also both have the number 7 on their helmets. The number of the Seal of God.

I always loved that quote from the movie that wasn't in the book... "Some smart-ass talked about the banality of evil." That was actually King himself who commented on banal evil in his classic vampire novel, "'Salem's Lot".

“What makes the evil, is the evil inside the person.” 😮

Fucking made me cry man. This movie always made me feel empathy for his despair this feeling like I was in a pool of it myself. Forcing me to think on reality for hours or days after seeing it. I cannot believe I forgot about this for a good year or more. Hands down my favorite psychological horror and one that truly scares me. Not just jump scares the fear of an ultimate punishment taking form as your own failings your own greed and anger your own laziness and selfishness your lack of love for others unraveling your sanity inch by inch.

This is honestly one of the greatest RU-vid videos I’ve seen in a long time. You should be more than proud of yourself.

I saw this in theaters and at the time I thought it was goofy. However when I rewatched it as an adult I understood how psychologically scary it is. But for his POV he said there would be no god to protect us from them. That’s where he’s wrong. Sort of. If those things exist that are evil then it must mean that the good entities also exist. There’s no one without the other. But my favorite scene for some reason has always been the part where Sam Jackson is sitting in his office and finds out Mike beat the room so he pours himself a drink and says “Well done mr Enslin”.

Just a reminder, since I'm at the lust part. Lust does not have to be only for women. I'd say it's more believable that he's lusting after the thrill of finding supernatural evidence.

Wow! This movie has always been underrated for me, but you just hit a whole new level of depth. Congratulations on the great essay! Subbed.

1408 is one of my most favorite horror movies and I'm glad someone did it justice by talking about the things that made this movie a cut above your conventional haunting movies.

I've watched this video about 10 times in the past years. First time I watched it sent me down a rabbit hole of horror symbolism. Thank you so much for this.

I worked at a upscale hotel in Pittsburgh, one night my friends and I watched this movie and I really didn't pay much attention to it... the next day at work I was approached by a very unpleasant woman at the desk. She asked me what rooms had a hot tub and I without thinking booked her into 1408. This was at the end of the night and I didn't think much of it. The next day I received a call before work from my manager asking about the woman because she didn't have a reservation and I failed to copy her ID... when I got to work I was approached by detectives... the woman was found dead in the hot tub, she had taken a bunch of pills and slit her wrist... very unnerving

I want to remind something very important about Dante’s Inferno. I took a class which extensively covered Dante and his writings in history. He wrote the story/poem not with the aim to convey how he imagines hell but as a criticism of extreme corruption, disloyalty, and betrayal in Italy at the time where no one could have been trusted and money ran everything.

I actually prefer the alternate ending. With the alternate, it actually places Mike with his daughter, instead of his wife. He sacrifices his soul in order to protect other souls from the hell that he had come to know as 1408. Once he passes away, the final scene shows the windows of 1408 outside of The Dolphin, burnt and charred. Eventually, the camera is level with the windows, peering into the room which is completely destroyed, due to the success of Mike's plan. There you see Mike, standing there smoking a cigarette, surrounded by his work of destroying 1408 (probably the piece of work he is most proud of). You hear his daughter call for him, and he turns around towards the door of 1408. He responds with "Yes, of course" and walks towards the door. He fades through the door, and then you hear the door shut, and lock, symbolizing that Mike is now at peace, Nirvana, etc. to spend the rest of eternity with his daughter. This ending portrays the seriousness of the movie. The amount of hell Mike had deserved ultimately ended in his death. He wasnt allowed the opportunity to come back to life, explain what had happened to his wife, and enjoy what he had taken for granted all those years prior. No, he gave his soul for the mission of destroying this hell, 1408.

1408 is like the darkside cave in empire strikes back. Luke: whats in there? yoda: only what you take with you

I never realised there were alternate endings. The version I watch saw him die in the room and cuts to his funeral. I think I prefer this ending

Turns out I have never seen the original ending of this film, only ever seen the version where he dies at the end xD Never even knew it was a alternative ending...

I've always thought that if Dante's Inferno was real, I'm really in for a wild ride when I die.

This was the first horror movie I ever saw. I had no idea how deep it was.

This is hands down the best movie analysis to ever grace the tube. Thank you! I'd like to add that the doppelganger is his more sinful self, being dressed in black and sitting in front of an empty block. and most importantly: he is smoking a cigarette. As Mike makes a big deal out of having quit smoking and carrying around his last cigarett wherever he goes. I do prefer the director's cut ending where he doesn't live. It makes his sacrifice more impactful and the film less hollywood. He can only truly redeem himself by making the ultimate sacrifice.

I chose this randomly, for background noise while I work. I ended up watching the video instead of doing the work! Lol 😂 You did a great job! 👍

This is my fourth time watching this ever since yesterday.... There's something extraordinarily profound about this, and it touches me and I don't know what. You made me change the way I view this movie. It's amazing!

I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS THANK YOU. Man the first time I saw this film I was like "oh, this is what horror should look like." I had seen a few films in the genre that were OK to pretty deece but this was the first that made me not just shocked or jump scared, but truly horrified, and not afraid. It made me think of the endless ways a mind can torment itself into total cataclysmic destruction and make death seem like an escape. AND THE WAY IT ENDS it reminds me of the ritual, or even the newer evil dead. The triumph in the face of cosmic evil so unknowable the catharsis of crawling out of hell and shouting back at the devils from the other side is like falling willingly into shockingly cold water. FUCK MAN. fuck.

As I watched this spellbinding film adapted from Stephen King's short story, I could not help but wonder how much of this was illustrated by King's unconscious mind. It is as this review suggests, a quintessential metaphysical tour de force, littered archetypal imagery and symbolic easter eggs. The only weak spots are the references to Dante's inferno, which give away the literary structure of the plot. Still, this is an unbelievably good horror film and a great film in general. King is and will always be one the best wtiters and storytellers of the 21st century. John Cusack is absolutely brilliant in this film as well! A+ overall.

The urge to watch this film overpowered me, sorry, I just love it... can't finish your video. It seems great, I'll leave a like. I gotta go watch 1408 now.

I prefer the theatrical cut ending’s somewhat. Mostly because of Samuel L. Jackson’s character. In the theatrical cut it is somewhat understood that he knows something we don’t. That he’s somehow part of everything. But in the alternate cut. He seems scared and concerned. He’s even spooked by the ghost in the car. That takes all the mystery that was built up upon the character away for me.

The timing of this video was incredible. I'm so glad I stumbled across it while journeying through the RU-vid abyss.

I never seen this version. The version of this movie I saw, he blew up in the hotel and appeared as a ghost in Samuel L Jackson’s backseat as he was leaving the funeral lol

Fire is purifying. I feel that's probably why it was involved in his sacrifice. Also, it's broad daylight and I was still getting chills.

"And turn to ash." "Mr. Enslin, I don't feel so good."

Fascinating breakdown. The messages are all in the movie, but the spectacle somewhat obscures their meanings. Now I want to watch the movie again with a "new set of eyes". Thank you.

Wow, this was really deep. It never even occurred to me that Mike died at the beginning of the film, but hearing you explain it makes perfect sense. Great video!

You should really send this to Stephen King, I think he would love this! Incredible job man!

This was such an eloquent gut punch to absorb (as a confused agnostic.) Every single sentence you have written and each frame explained is a tour de force of moral inquiry. Your work deserves acclaim and preservation in film studies archives, at the very least.

Wow I’m taking aback, do you know how many years I’ve always know what 1408 represented, and now to see I’m not being called “OCD” by my friend who says I over analyze horror movies. Lmao this was a great video and the narration is FLAWLESS!!! I think you have a new subscriber. 😉

Basing on the many subtle hints and hidden details no average viewer could notice it really makes me think how talented and cultured some movie dirrectors and screenwriters are, and most importantly the ability to translate written text into a visual representation in such sophisticated way, just makes me envy them for their intellectual.

Your video editing and writing is superb. Bravo. 30 minutes flew over me in an instant

i can tell a man's quality by his appreciation of the film room 1408. literally instasubbed lol

This has got to be the most intelligent and well thought out analysis of this film I've ever seen. I never would have thought to parallel this film with Dante's Inferno. The way you explained it made so much sense.

This is why I love this movie. It's always more deep than simply "spooky ghosts do spooky things to screw with main character." The novella isn't as blatant of these details in some parts are kinda there if you look really closer into it and squint a little. While I don't agree that Mike died before entering 1408, it does explain certain details. Who sent him the postcard enticing him to the room could have been his evil alter ego enticing him lower, and why when he's walking to 1408, he seems to loop around and come back to the elevators, with the door opening as he arrives. Olin, as Mike's Virgil couldn't talk him out of staying in the hotel, so the hallway twisted on itself to bring Mike to where he started. To offer him one last way out to avoid stepping into his own private Hell, one he had to decide on taking without someone to try and convince him. The last life line offered. Which Mike didn't take, his ego and own sin too strong and the idea of 1408 being another definitive nail against the existence of God took him into the room. Also explains Olin's last words in the film "Well done Mr. Enslin. Well done." He was happy that Mike had achieved salvation, his sin being purged from his spirit without stumbling and being claimed to join the rooms many other spirits who are trapped in Hell.

I've never even seen this movie but this is brilliant, I'm sold. Physiological horror is my favourite genre

Damn.. I always said this movie is underrated.

This is, to this day, one of the best videos on youtube. ever. the production not only is amazing, its very smart, the writing its clever, clear, the ideas are understandable and even the sound aspect its so well done. what an amazing essay. people should use this video as inspiration into how to make a high quality essay.

Dante’s Inferno is very opinionated. Everyone Dante didn’t like is portrayed as being in Hell. He also gets to self-insert himself into a story where he gets to hang out with his favorite author.

What you essentially created in this video was a sermon, and a deep, moving, and effective one at that. A sermon that I needed to hear. Thank you.

That was incredible, you seriously made me do a complete 180 on 1408. Seriously, you took a so so average film and made it one of my favorite horror/thriller films of all time. Kudos👍

This explanation of 1408 was fantastic. I watched this movie a dozen times and Dante's Inferno never crossed my mind. Such an awesome way of putting things in a different perspective for all of us. Great work!

Why after three years youtube is pulling up this video right now on my suggestions? I had no idea there was out there such a deep analysis of this masterpiece. 10 kudos for you sir, the best analysis of a movie I've seen so far. By the way the version I saw was the director's cut, the end is completely different than this one. I highly recommend this version for those who haven't seen it yet.

You know, when I first saw this movie, I thought it was silly. Kind of a bummer. Now that I'm older, and wiser, and now that I've seen your video, good lord...this is a good movie. This is a horror movie that tells a story, leaves it open, keeps it SIMPLE while having so much depth. The main character, is also NOT AN IDIOT. And the biggest part that makes it wonderful? It's a mental horror, not a fear horror. This is a horror that you watch, and try to understand. When you understand it, it's not "scary" it's "intelligent." Thank you so much, I love this and I think I'll give 1408 another watch!

This is, by far, the best video I've seen on youtube with less that 100,000 views.

God : "You never believed in me, so I'm going to traumatically prove to you that I am real" Mike : "Bro, all I needed was proof without the trauma"

Not gonna lie man, at first I was thinking you were over reaching on a great movie, but as you continued and gave each reason for every layer I left with a newfound respect for one of my favorite movies of all time and will honestly never be able to see it the same way again. Thank you for educating me.

'We've Only Just Begun' - The Carpenters ...... Jesus Christ - a Carpenter

To this day, the final scene of this version is one of the most spine-chilling moments I can remember in cinema.

This was a brilliant analysis on my all-time favorite horror movie. I knew it had references to The Divine Comedy, but did not realize just how closely connected those two stories really were! That movie was truly terrifying, and even today I still have to "prep" myself before watching it...; god, even THINKING about it scares the pants off me! A freaking masterpiece, IMHO... And, I should mention that I'll NEVER be able to listen to that particular Carpenters song ever again without chills running down my spine (that bloody filtering effect was brill :-}

I just want to point out that there is a difference between "it's untrue until it's proven true" and "you shouldn't believe it until it's proven true." One assumes that something is wrong, the other does not assume anything at all.

10:20 "So, if you've made your peace. Then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it, that's all. Understand?" - Louie, from "Jacob's Ladder"

Very good analysis... One other aspect of importance I'd like to point out. Later on as the film goes on and all this happening to him. Once again he opens the Bible hoping to seek relief, only to find the pages totally empty. This illustrates how he is separated from God. Overall this is a pretty effective scary flick with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. One of the many standout scenes of this movie is when he observes two people (from long ago) who jump out of the window. First a man and then a woman (presumably the wife noted by her crying in grief because her husband jumped out first). Using "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters was effective in that the song is supposed to be about a new beginning in a relationship. Instead, the song portends a new beginning of torment. Also notice how the song goes off key and slows down later in the movie which adds to the overall effect and reinforces the scene. Although it did good in the theaters and can be judged a success, it should have been a blockbuster. But sometimes the spookiest of movies are underrated and fly under the radar generally become cult classics like "Carnival of Souls", ""Phantasm" and the original 1968 "Night of The Living Dead". This one deserves to be in that category as 'cult classic' despite being released in 2007.

Excellent essay! It’s interesting to imagine that the room isn’t actually hell but can recreate it’s structure and knows Mike will recognize it - when Katie comes back she says ‘they won’t let me stay’ - who are they? Does every hour look the same for every belief system- I imagine not when examining the variety of other deaths and some of the rooms’ phrasing, such as the phone mocking his use of numbering levels. But overall the use of trauma and faith in the room’s agenda is so interesting and terrifying - and as a performance it was killer

This was by far one of the best explanation of a movie i have ever seen. Phenomenal and quality content. Your pacing is awesome. Subscribed.

Only movie I've seen by myself at the Theater, there was maybe 20-25 other people there so there were alot of open seats, I took the back row which was completely empty. The movie was amazing, it pulled me in with that beginning and him meeting Samuel Jackson and his description and feeling of the room, the scribbled writing "My Brother was Eaten Alive by Wolves on the Connecticut Turnpike" freaked me out for some reason and has always stuck with me, what was the story behind this, why did it strike such a creepy unsettling cord with me, being its a 2-3 second scene that goes by real quick.. So the movie was disturbing and scary as all hell, being in that pitch black theater all by myself didn't help, a few times the movie caught me off guard and I turned to look at someone else's reaction, quickly remembering I was by myself, so I had to sit there with goose bumps running down my spine, no one made a sound the entire time.. towards the end it seems like the movie has wrapped up, and it looks like it was a " Near Death Experience " to make him want to live again after losing his kid. I was like, oh wow this is crazy, I'm cool with this trippy ending, he wrote a book, was patching things up with his wife etc, I was like, oh I bet they'll be a cliff hanger right at the end! At that point the movie took the hardest left turn I had ever seen, thrusting us the audience back into that hellish room, with the alarming going off.. I almost felt like I was losing my mind at that point, I was so positive the movie was wrapping up, now i'm being thrust into the most intense, and horrific moments of the final act of the movie, with another 20-25 minutes still left.. leaving the theater I almost felt drained by the experience.. love that movie.

Damn you dante, you made me think twice about doing sinful things. Hell is horrible jeez

12:25 “All of these women around him after his incident surfing indicate he died, went to Limbo, and was haunted by the women he slept with instead of his wife” The director: “Haha hot girls go brrr”

I was in federal custody for like 3 weeks. And they played this movie on bounce on saturdays. Tripped me tf out

It still messes me up that he plays that tape for his wife to hear. Its unsettling

In multiple aspects, one could also compare *Silent Hill 2's* themes of acknowledgement of/penance for sin + James Sunderland's journey to Dante's travels through Hell, although the levels would likely be more difficult to define & personify.

I am literally floored by watching this... I just thought 1408 was a crummy movie when I saw it... I cannot believe it had so much behind it. I still would not go out of my way to watch it again, but this was fantastic.

while contemplating this video it occurred to me that it came as an answer to many questions that i have been holding. i know we all take away our own personal meaning, but the timing of which this video found me has led me to conclude it was not coincidental. like a puzzle piece, all of its grooves and edges match. even questions that i was asking just last night, before or during my sleep, your excellent video showed up first thing in the quiet of the morning like a (for lack of better term) divined answer. and judging by the comments section it would seem i am not alone. thank you!