19 Years Later, Stephen King's Most Underrated Horror Movie Just Got A Huge Upgrade

"There's a comforting familiarity to checking into a hotel - the reliably unchanging layouts, the fluffy pillows, the convenience of room service. At the same time, settling into strange new quarters can unsettle the more imaginative of us. How many people have slept in this bed before? Could any of the mirrors be two-way? Have you checked every little crevice for hidden cameras?"

"With a new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray now out, though, there's no better time to check into 1408. Based on King's 1999 short story, the 2007 film follows supernatural skeptic Mike Enslin (John Cusack), who books the title room at New York's Dolphin Hotel. No one lasts longer than an hour inside, he's told, and 56 guests have perished there over the years. He's unfazed by its macabre reputation, but over one unending hour, Mike experiences the malevolence firsthand."

"The psychological horror grossed a tidy $132 million against a $25 million budget, good for a second-place opening at the US box office. Calling it the year's best horror movie - high praise, given that 2007 also gave us Paranormal Activity, The Orphanage, and REC - critic James Berardinelli named it "among the best King-inspired motion pictures to-date." It was also warmly received by Mick LaSalle, who called it "a more genuinely scary movie than most horror films" and "one of the good Stephen Kin"

Hotel stays combine comforting familiarity with unsettling uncertainty for imaginative guests who worry about previous occupants, two-way mirrors, and hidden cameras. Two Stephen King adaptations dramatize hotel-based dread: The Shining features Jack Torrance as winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel whose labyrinth and spectres drive him mad. The 2007 film 1408 follows supernatural skeptic Mike Enslin booking the notorious room at the Dolphin Hotel, where no one lasts more than an hour and 56 guests have perished. The film earned $132 million on a $25 million budget and received praise as one of the better King adaptations.

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