Book Vs. Movie: 1408

Welcome to a new random feature here on Writing, Schemes and Derby Dreams. Every so often, likely when the mood strikes me, I will do a little write up comparing a book to its film version and vice versa.

First up is the 2007 film/2002 short story, 1408.

That's Samuel L. Jackson, motherfucker!

Please bear in mind that the version of the film I have is the director's cut, which has a vastly different ending than the theatrical release. Since the director's cut is the one I've seen, that is what I'll be going by here.

1408 is a film based of a Stephen King short story originally part of an audiobook called Blood and Smoke, and later put into written form for the collection Everything's Eventual. The latter is probably my favourite collection of his due to the actual scariness of the stories contained within.

The cliff's note version is such: Mike Enslin, a writer of cheap generic "10 Haunted >Enter Location Here<" type books, played by John Cusack in the movie, needs a new hook for his next piece of claptrap, and heads to New York City to stay at the Dolphin Hotel in the infamous room, 1408.

Note that the number 1, 4, 0 and 8 add up to 13. Many hotels do not acknowledge that they have a 13th floor as it's considered very bad luck. Technically speaking, they all do, they just call it the 14th floor. 1408 is on the 14th floor of the Dolphin Hotel, which is actually the 13th floor.

People have died in 1408. Many people. Over 50 according to Samuel L. Jackson in the film. Some via bizarre suicides, others of what seemed to be natural causes. No one goes into the room except for a monthly turn-down service, and anyone that is in the room for any length of time beyond that goes batshit insane if they manage not to die.

Crazy writer decides hey, this is probably a total load of bullshit, I can do what dozens of other people have failed to do!

Yeah, right.

Enslin discovers that not only is he so very very wrong, but there's a good chance he won't leave this room alive. And it goes downhill from there.

Personally, I feel the movie spent too much time focusing on Enslin's personal problems in an attempt to give his eventual madness more depth. I really didn't need to see all the stuff about his dead daughter, or his shitty relationship with his father. The room is scary enough on its own, or at least in the book it is.

I know this is just to pad the movie out, and the original story itself isn't very long. But I'd rather have seen more disembodied voices screaming "This is nine! Nine!" and "We have killed your friends!" through the telephone in the room than see Enslin relive his daughter's battle with cancer or whatever it was that killed her.

It is pretty sweet that the movie throws in the mindfuck of thinking Enslin is out of the room, that it was all just a dream, only to discover that he hadn't left the room since he entered it. That's one long hour. Even more so once the clock radio finishes it's countdown, only to start over again.

Sadly, it isn't until then that the random phone calls of people yelling numbers happens. That was by far the creepiest part of the book.

Although the phone telling Enslin that he totally has free will and is more then welcome to use the "express checkout service" is pretty fucking creepy.

Pictured: Express Checkout Service

I actually prefer the ending in the book. In it, Enslin attempts to light himself on fire, but the room, in an attempt at self preservation, spits him out into the hallway and he survives. He gives up writing and is a complete metal case for the rest of his life. In the version of the movie I have, he lights the room on fire, which screams and moans in agony, and dies. Both of them.

That actually feels more like a cop out. The lingering psychological effects of the room is what makes the whole thing so scary. Enslin dying removes that whole aspect of the story. It's not the same. He may be a victim of 1408, but unlike the previous deaths in the room, he is liberated by finally beating the room at its own game and can move on to the afterlife to be with his daughter.

Meanwhile, Book Enslin has to sleep with the lights on and can't handle having a phone in his house. He will likely have PSTD and be haunted by his experience until he dies. Movie Enslin got off easy.

I think in the end the story just works better in terms of sheer terror than the movie. How I pictured what Enslin described in my head was far scarier than how it was depicted be Cusack in the movie.

Book: 1

Movie: 0