Stephen King's 1408 Ending Explained: Ready To Check Out?
Stephen King knows a thing or two about haunted hotels. His "The Shining" is the granddaddy of haunted hotel tales, and he even returned to the Overlook Hotel with the sequel "Doctor Sleep." And then there's "1408," King's short story about one mean room. King originally wrote part of the story as part of his non-fiction work "On Writing." It was merely meant to illustrate how a story changes from draft to draft. But the story turned out to be pretty darn good, and a fully formed "1408" became part of an audiobook collection before ending up in King's short story anthology "Everything's Eventual."
Since this is a Stephen King story we're talking about, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling. Writers Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski took King's story and expanded it to feature length, keeping the basic outline of what King had written while adding new twists and turns. The end result was an effective, creepy film that went on to be a big scary hit.
What is 1408 about?
In "1408," we're introduced to Mike Enslin (John Cusack), an author who makes his living writing books about ghosts; books with titles like "10 Nights in 10 Haunted Graveyards," and "10 Nights in 10 Haunted Castles." Mike once dreamed of being a serious author, but that didn't go according to plan. Now he makes his living chasing ghosts. Even though his livelihood is tied up in the world of the supernatural, Mike himself is a non-believer. A few years ago, his young daughter Katie died, ruining Mike's marriage and turning him into a bitter, cynical man — a man who doesn't believe in an afterlife for his daughter, or anyone for that matter.
Mike's latest book is about haunted hotels, and a mysterious postcard tips him off to the Hotel Dolphin in New York. The hotel itself isn't haunted — just one specific room, room 1408 (notice those numbers add up to 13). Mike attempts to book the room only to be thwarted by the staff. He's eventually able to secure a night in 1408 with the help of his publisher and a lawyer. Mike arrives at the hotel ready to check in but is halted by the manager, Olin (Samuel L. Jackson). Olin pleads with Mike not to spend the night in the room — he insists it will be dangerous, and potentially deadly. Many people have already died in that room over the years, either by suicide or by other, more mysterious ways. As a result of this, Olin tries to keep the room empty at all times.
Mike is not to be thwarted or deterred. He checks into the room and almost immediately, strange, inexplicable things begin to happen, hinting at a genuine presence in the room. It's subtle at first but grows increasingly pronounced, complete with visions of transparent ghosts leaping out the window. It's clear that, unlike the other supposedly haunted places Mike has explored, 1408 is the real deal. Mike attempts to document his stay in the room with a tape recorder, talking to himself as he grows increasingly unhinged. Eventually, he discovers he's trapped in the room, and no one is coming to save him. The ghost of his dead daughter Katie appears, and Mike eventually decides to take matters into his own hands and set fire to the room.
1408 ending(s)
"1408" has several endings, some better than others. The theatrical ending is perhaps the weakest. Despite the presence of an explosion in 1408 after Mike starts a fire, we see that Mike has survived, escaped, and reconciled with his ex-wife, Lily (Mary McCormack). Mike's trusty tape recorder also survived, and when Mike hits play on the tape he and Lily hear the voice of their dead daughter, Katie. Mike finally has proof of the supernatural. He also has proof that his deceased child is still out there in some form. It's a happy ending, or at least as happy as an ending can be that involves the ghost of a dead kid.
The director's cut ending is superior and darker. In this ending, we learn that Mike died in the fire, but destroyed the room in the process. Olin attends Mike's funeral, only to then see Mike's charred ghost lurking in the backseat of his car. Mike's ghost then joins hands with the ghost of his dead daughter and they walk off into the afterlife together. Test audiences thought killing off Mike was too much of a downer, and thus the theatrical ending was shot. Both endings are essentially doing the same thing: providing proof of the afterlife, something Mike was searching for with his books. In the theatrical cut, he can take comfort in knowing his daughter still exists somewhere, and the director's cut enables him to reunite with her. He was once a skeptic, and now he's a believer because seeing is believing.
Other endings
There's another ending, too. In this alternate ending, Mike dies and a manuscript about his stay in the hotel room mysteriously shows up in his publisher's office, even though, being dead and all, Mike had no time to actually write it. This is a somewhat silly conclusion and doesn't pack the same punch as the other two endings, particularly the superior director's cut finale. As for the short story, it has a significantly different ending, too.
Mike doesn't have a dead daughter in the story. Instead, he's just a hard-headed guy who doesn't believe in the supernatural — until he encounters it in 1408. Like in the movie, Mike sets the room on fire — and himself along with it. But he's able to survive, albeit with a few severe burns. In the aftermath of his terrifying stay in 1408, Mike doesn't have many memories. He knows something happened to him in that room, but his mind has blocked most of it out, and for that he's thankful. Mike quits writing and becomes a reclusive loner, afraid of the dark and haunted by memories he can't really recall. The moral of all these endings seems to be the same: you better start believing in haunted hotel rooms. And maybe avoid checking into them on purpose.