1408 (short story)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"1408" is a short story by
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
. It is the third tale in the
audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
collection ''
Blood and Smoke ''Blood and Smoke'' (1999) is an audiobook in which Stephen King reads three of his own short stories. At the time, King said that the two short stories which had not been published wouldn't be, but all three appeared in the ''Everything's Even ...
'', released in 1999. In 2002, "1408" was collected in written form as the 12th story in King's collection '' Everything's Eventual''. In the introduction to the story, King says that "1408" is his version of what he calls the "Ghostly Room at the Inn", his term for the theme of
haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
or
motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...
rooms in
horror fiction Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...
. He originally wrote the first few pages as part of an
appendix Appendix, or its plural form appendices, may refer to: __NOTOC__ In documents * Addendum, an addition made to a document by its author after its initial printing or publication * Bibliography, a systematic list of books and other works * Index (pub ...
for his
non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...
book, '' On Writing'' (2000), to be used as an example of how a story changes from one
draft document In the context of written composition, "drafting" refers to any process of generating preliminary versions of a written work. Drafting happens at any stage of the writing process as writers generate trial versions of the text they're developing. ...
to the next. King also noted how the numbers of the title add up to the supposedly unlucky number 13.


Plot summary

Mike Enslin is a writer of non-fiction works based on the theme of haunted places: ''Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Houses'', ''Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Graveyards'', and ''Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Castles''. They prove to be best-sellers, but Enslin feels some guilt at their success, privately acknowledging that he does not believe in the
paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...
and
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
elements he investigates. Arriving at the Dolphin Hotel on 61st Street in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Enslin is intent on spending the night in the hotel's infamous Room 1408 as part of his research for his next book, ''Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Hotel Rooms''. He is met by the hotel's manager, Mr. Olin, who fills him in on the room's morbid history – 1408 has been responsible for 42 deaths, at least 12 of them
suicides Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...
, over a span of 68 years. While remarking he does not believe there are
ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
in 1408, Olin insists there is "something" that resides inside, causing terrible things to happen to anyone who stays within its walls for anything but the briefest periods of time. As such, he has striven to keep the room vacant during his tenure as manager, a period of nearly 20 years. Olin also reveals that, due to the superstitious practice of never recognizing the 13th floor (the room is listed as being on the 14th), it is a room cursed by existing on the 13th floor, the room numbers adding up to 13 making it all the worse. Enslin is secretly affected by Olin's remarks and evidence, but his determination to not appear superstitious and follow through with his research wins out. He demands the right to stay in the room by threatening legal action against the hotel. Olin pleads with Enslin to reconsider, believing that a skeptic would be highly susceptible to the room's powers. At Enslin's continued insistence, Olin reluctantly leads him to 1408, unwilling to accompany him farther than the elevator landing on the 14th floor. Enslin's problems with Room 1408 begin before he even sets foot through the door; the door itself initially appears to be canted to the left. After looking away and back, the door appears perfectly straight. Then, after looking a third time, it appears to be crooked again, except now to the right. Chalking the experience up to Olin's attempt to manipulate him, he girds himself and enters the room. Enslin spends 70 minutes in Room 1408, dictating his experience into a handheld
tape recorder An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present- ...
. Almost immediately, his train of thought takes unwelcome and chaotic turns — he compares it to being "stoned on bad, cheap dope" — and he experiences bizarre visual hallucinations. A breakfast menu on the night-stand changes languages to French, then Russian, then Italian, then a woodcut of a wolf eating a screaming boy's leg. The pattern on the wallpaper seems to shift and warp, and the room's pictures transform into grotesque parodies. Enslin feels his feet sink into the carpet like
quicksand Quicksand is a colloid A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a ...
, and he hears a nightmarish voice on the room's phone chanting terrifying phrases: "This is nine! Nine! We have killed your friends! Every friend is now dead! This is six! Six!" The room itself begins to melt, the walls and ceiling warping and bowing inward. Enslin senses a dangerous, otherworldly presence coming for him. In desperation, he sets his "lucky"
Hawaiian shirt The aloha shirt (), also referred to as a Hawaiian shirt, is a style of dress shirt originating in Hawaii. They are collared and buttoned dress shirts, usually short-sleeved and made from printed fabric. They are traditionally worn untucked, but ...
on fire while wearing it, breaking the room's spell long enough for him to escape. Stumbling out into the hall, another hotel guest douses him with ice. When the other guest looks inside the room and is tempted to enter, Enslin warns him not to, claiming the room is "haunted". The door slams shut. After his ordeal, Enslin gives up writing altogether. He has acquired various physical and psychological problems stemming from his brief stay in the room. He notes to himself (as Olin expressed earlier) that there are no ghosts in 1408, because ghosts were once merely humans, while the entity he encountered was horrifically inhuman. In the end, Enslin sleeps with his lights on, has removed all his house's phones, and always draws the curtains before dark; he cannot stand the shade of yellow-orange at sunset that reminds him of the light inside Room 1408.


Reference in other works

* Part of the drafts to the story were included in '' On Writing'' as a study of how King edits his work.


Film adaptation

The
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
film director
Mikael Håfström Jan Mikael Håfström is a Swedish film director and screenwriter. He is best known for the 2003 film ''Evil'', and the movie adaptation of Stephen King's short story '' 1408''. Early life Born in Lund, Sweden, Mikael Håfström studied film at ...
developed a movie, ''1408'', based on the short story, starring
John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...
as Michael Enslin and
Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...
as Mr. Olin. It was released June 22, 2007 and was a financial success in its opening weekend, taking in $20.1 million.


See also

*
Stephen King short fiction bibliography This is a list of short fiction by Stephen King (b. 1947). This includes short stories, novelettes, and novellas, as well as poems. It is arranged chronologically by first publication. Major revisions of previously published pieces are also noted ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1408 (Short Story) 1999 short stories Fictional rooms Haunted hotels Short stories adapted into films Short stories by Stephen King Short stories set in New York City