1408
I’m a fan of the movie 1408. If you asked me what I think of Stephen King films, I’d have to say my favorite film adaptations of his are The Mist, The Stand, and 1408.
This was only the second time I’ve seen this film, but both Karin and I noticed a few odd, interesting things that had us pausing the film in several spots.
As a disbelieving Mike Enslin investigates room 1408, he scans a quick passage in a bible (Samuel 2:11) then tosses the bible back on the nightstand. For a few quick frames this was visible:
This is one of the early signs that this is indeed an “evil fucking room”.
Room 1408 seems to be running just a bit too hot for Mike’s taste. Sweating, he saunters over to the thermostat to give it a quick tap:
Wow, this thermostat goes up to 115° (and quite possibly even high. It doesn’t appear to be pegged out).
Later in the story, 1408 begins to cool down well below the point of freezing:
Again, it appears that this room is capable of temperatures well below 15°. Also note the letters “SJK” on the thermostat. I thought this might be a nod to Stephen J. King, but alas Mr. King’s middle name is Edwin, so out goes that theory.
Oh, and my take on this movie is that Mike died while surfing. As he unwittingly eased into the afterlife he received the postcard from Gerald Olin urging him to avoid 1408, which was obviously bait that Gerald knew would draw Mike to the Dolphin hotel and, ultimately, to forever suffer in a personal hell of his own construction; to repeatedly relive a lifelong collection of failures, traumas, and regrets.
Very cool movie.
Of course this is just my take on this film. Would you have a different interpretation?
