Editor’s Note: This was originally published for FANGORIA on October 12, 2007, and we’re proud to share it as part of The Gingold Files.
In a movie that depends on keeping an audience interested in a sole protagonist trapped in one location for the bulk of the running time, and on carefully doled-out flashbacks to enrich his character, you’d think it would be the later portions of the story that would pose the greatest challenge to the scriptwriters. But according to 1408 scribes Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski on that DVD’s audio commentary, the “most rewritten” scene was a simple-seeming early moment that finds author Mike Enslin (John Cusack) dealing with both a sparse crowd and his own ennui at a bookstore signing. The prime concern of the duo and director Mikael Hafström was “building a trust” with Mike in the movie’s first act, rather than hitting the audience with scary stuff from the opening scenes. And watching the movie again, it’s rather remarkable how, almost alone among recent big-screen genre output, this one takes its time and doesn’t get to its actual frights for a half hour or so.
The Dimension/Genius double-DVD release of 1408 allows for the option of viewing either the theatrical cut on the first disc, or a longer unrated version on the second. The latter is clearly the way to go, in large part because it retains the original ending that was replaced for the film’s big-screen release. While the new conclusion is generally effective, and not entirely as “happy” as reshot endings tend to be, the initial one feels like the true, inevitable resolution and brings more satisfying closure to Mike’s experiences. Which is not to suggest that the extended version is a giant leap over the shorter one; beyond a few minor bits of gruesomeness that were toned down to nab a PG-13 rating, a number of other moments have been restored that, while they add dramatic grace notes, even Hafström admits aren’t entirely necessary and weigh down the pacing a bit. Either way, though, 1408 remains a solid, intelligent and well-acted haunting story with a good share of genuine jump- and chill-inducing moments (see our original review here).
The 2.35:1 transfers are both terrific, sharply capturing the distinctive color schemes—sickly and vaguely desaturated inside and vibrantly colorful outside, emphasizing the claustrophobic themes—and backed by edgy and enveloping Dolby 5.1 audio tracks. The way the supplements are divided makes the first disc almost entirely disposable, unless you haven’t seen the theatrical edition and are curious to check it out. All you get there are a couple of insubstantial “webisodes” which tell you nothing you won’t get out of the package’s more substantial extras, and the theatrical trailer, which gives away far, far too much.
The extras on disc two are excellent, however, more than justifying the price of the whole package. Best of all is that commentary by Hafström, Alexander and Karaszewski, which is dense with information while remaining lively throughout. The discussion reveals that the movie went through very extensive story development (with props given to Matt Greenberg, the first to tackle the adaptation of Stephen King’s story), and the trio reveal the thought processes behind any number of scenes and character beats. All the while, they sprinkle their talk with consistent anecdotes—from the narrative bits inspired by the screenwriters’ own lives to the fact that the hotel-room set, originally constructed in London, had to be flown to LA and rebuilt to accommodate very pregnant actress Mary McCormack for the reshoots. And bet you didn’t know that the movie’s scariest scene was inspired by the Marx Brothers!
Showing their savvy, the creators address issues which became 1408 talking points on the Internet, including the question of who sent the postcard that lures Mike to the Dolphin Hotel in the first place, and Samuel L. Jackson’s sole use of the f-word, which they swear was already in the script and not added after Jackson was cast. They also ruminate over whether Mike’s terrifying experience is actually happening, or might all be in his mind—rather odd, considering that the one key element carried through both endings is a bit of tape-recorded evidence that a crucial spectral encounter actually occurred.
You’d think after this exhaustive exploration of the movie, there wouldn’t be much else to reveal, but a group of featurettes collectively titled The Secrets of 1408 have a few surprises in store. In The Characters (whose number includes the titular room itself in this discussion), we learn that the suggestion to cast Jackson in a role originally written (by both King and the scripters) for an older British gentleman first came from Quentin Tarantino, and glimpse Cusack struggling his away across a tilting-room set in behind-the-scenes footage. The Director has Hafström delivering one of the best terse explanations of the craft I’ve heard in some time (“You are the audience before there is an audience”), while The Physical Effects and The Production Design allow longer looks at the filming in assorted hotel-room mockups. We see one that was constructed in the Underwater Stage at Pinewood Studios for a flooding scene in action, while production designer Andrew Laws notes that an additional challenge was making the overall room visually unimpressive.
The deleted-scenes section doesn’t contain further variations on the ending mentioned during the commentary; what’s most notable is that within them, you finally get to see bits from the film that have been teased elsewhere. Here you’ll see Jackson intoning a line that became a key moment in the trailer and TV spots, and McCormack running to the door of room 1408, as seen in a widely circulated publicity still. And if you read the above description of Cusack contending with a tilting room and were wondering where it was in the movie—this is the only place you’ll see that actual sequence.
