What an awesome, epic spectacle of a video essay. I've always liked this movie but never had the amount of appreciation for its layers that I do now after seeing this. Keep up the great work, guys!
This video is nuts. It's what happens when you have a theory and really want to sell it. You can bend enough and ignore enough info to convince plenty of people you're right. But the movie literally goes out of it's way to literally tell us things that are completely contradictory to this video. Mike doesn't die in the beginning, we know this from his funeral one one ending. He isn't seeking god. We know this because he literally tells us he's looking for ghosts. He writes books about ghosts and not books about god. His soul searching book is a book about the loss of a child and not religious. In the second of two possible endings it is not a god that is revealed to him, it's the proof of the paranormal and ghosts. The room isn't hell. The movie goes out of it's way to tell us it's just an evil room, and does so numerous times.
It's also interesting to note that room 1408 means the 8th room on floor 14. However, most tall buildings don't have 13th floor because it is considered unlucky. Usually jumping from floor 12 to 14. This means room 1408 is on the wrongly labeled 13th floor. Making it room 1308, which is the year the Divine Comedy began being written.
Does anyone else think John Cusack gave an awesome performance in this film? I thought he did great. Especially in parts where sudden realization sets in for him and how he reacts to them. It’s like you can actually see his mind taking a brief moment to register what just happened. Like when he suddenly believes he’s being spied on by a camera in the ceiling vent. Or when he’s crawling through the vent looking down into the other room, and she looks up at him, then he yells “Jesus Christ!” And recoils. And obviously one of the most important ones, when he has the whole “I was out!” scene.
@@aamesworld another under the radar Cusak/King film is Cell, Samuel L Jackson is also in it, seems at first like a different spin on the zombie/mind control/virus stories, but Sai King doesn't try to make it palatable, I read the book before seeing the film, but the ending is still a shock to see
Mary Burdette hahahahha 🤣🤣🤣🤣 that scene killed me. He sees Samuel L Jackson’s character, but obviously he’s not really in there. So when they do the over-the-shoulder view, it’s just John Cusack with the door open yelling “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?” at the inside of a normal refrigerator hahah! Like just the image of him berating a bunch of inanimate food and drinks was hilarious to me. 😂
@@aligmal5031 Oh yes I've seen that movie and it was fantastic! The cinematography and the whole atmosphere of the movie gave me chills. The brutality of war.
Which window scene do you mean? Are you talking about the one where he was looking out at the window across from him, or the one where he climbs out of his window to get to the other one and then just sees a long stretch of wall with no window??? Or do you even mean one of the smaller scale window moments where he gets his hand smashed in the window or when he sees figures jumping out?
@@PotawatomiThunderNew for me the one where he's trying to communicate with a supposed office worker working overtime only to see it's his doppelganger with a dead eyed stare mimicking his every move. Dang that scared me for days! 😮
If you mean the scene where he sees himself in the window, that concept always terrifies me because yeah things can be scary like monsters or demons but the one thing you’re not meant to ever see standing in front of yourself, is yourself and I think that’s why it’s so scary
That is high-end analysis documentary-style. You really can't get this level of quality from Netflix and Hulu. Bravo sir 10 out of 10 that was just a damn good video
Hulu is kind control n destruction watch their commercials " thisis your mind on hulu" (turns on blender =rrrrrrrrrr) lol t v is mind control "programming" TURN IT OFF!!!
Uhmmm... I'd say that's due to the simple fact that Netflix or Hulu or any other streaming service I know of do any sort of analysis of film's at all!! ...like duhhh!
What really freaks me out about this movie, is that it really reminds me of when I had a horrible trip on acid. I experienced, what felt like, a never ending cycle of horrible events repeating over and over, which I thought was hell, and that satan was torturing me, and every time I thought it was about to stop, it would start over again, and it really truly felt like this movie in a sense.
Drugs allow our spirits to open a portal to satan. What you experienced was real not a bad trip…give your life to God, its the only way any of us can avoid what you saw..✝️❤️
admit it emma.... something ugly happened during that trip [or that year found you in a bad 'life situation'] and the acid just intensified your natural bad reaction to that ugliness.
@@billsales3235 nah it was definitely more suppressed horrible fears I always had growing up of hell and demons and shit that I just tried to forget about, but now I just don’t believe in it so I’m doing much better now lol
@@Proverbs--tx6yr I’m sorry but I definitely believe that to be incorrect. Growing up, I was constantly taught about demons, demon possession & hell, and this ingrained a very deep and horrible fear of these things. I would sometimes wake up in the middle of night crying from nightmares, and all these fears came up during this trip because that is what LSD has the tendency to do. It activates certain neurotransmitters that cause you to just be more aware of certain things happening in your subconscious brain. Once I realized this, I stopped fearing all of those things and I’m much better now for it.
@Deliq Dont give up is all i can say man :l Ever heard about the dude that went to Mexico with his last savings that was to last a few weeks but came back after a few months determined to keep trucking? Hookers and cocaine can fix a lot of issues if family life isnt tempting right now.
1408 was such a hardcore story from King at the time. The thing that struck me when I listened to the audiobook is that, unlike many of his stories that deal with evil, this one had a very hard edge with absolutely no hint of the "tongue in cheek." -- just the purest, most straightforward, succinct, compact, concentrated example of something evil that I think King ever wrote. Short and sweet, and 100% black as hell.
Still the creepiest part to me melting phone-- "ignore the siren, even if you leave this room you can never leave this room...we have killed your friends... Every friend is now dead"
1408 has been my favorite horror film for as long as I can remember. I love psychological horror so much because rather than relying on jump scares, it relies on your mind and this movie focuses solely on that. I love how the room was a physical version of his own hell and how it would use every weakness he had against him. It’s a brilliant movie and I always felt like it had an even deeper underlying meaning and I feel like you found that. This video essay was so amazing, ;-; thank you for giving this movie the recognition it deserves
I too believe this. I’ve had many bad trips that really all seem to follow a layering spiral of sin and the pain that comes with it. Every trip I’ve done has been heroic doses. My first trip I took 5 hits of acid and it started a bad trip. And in the end? Paradise. “Coming down” I see as coming down from paradise and entering reality again. My psyche is currently stuck thinkin about everything and wondering why it is the way it is and theorizing upon that question and I hate it. 😅
Ordinarily “they were dead the whole time”/“layers of hell” analyses are incredibly cliche and bad - but since this movie actually makes a direct reference to dante it’s one of the few where it’s a completely valid interpretation. The actual structure doesn’t quite line up with the divine comedy but I think it’s definitely intentional that all the circles’ punishments are there. Anyway, you make great video essays! Thanks for selling me on a movie I’d never heard of before!
@@ChrisJones-rd4wb You do understand that most philosophers in history have been religious? "Dogma" is anything taken as brute fact for a system to function regardless, secularists have their own set of them.
@@ChrisJones-rd4wb It's like history. The points he was making related to those historical religious concepts. To ignore it would have made this video far less impactful and meaningful. It's clear that the movie was taking cues from Dante's Inferno as well. So I'm not sure what the problem is, even if some of the concepts happen to be considered religious "dogma" to some.
@@ChrisJones-rd4wb Also, there is philosophy in religion. I literally took a course in college called "The Philosophy of Religion" It covered people who didn't believe in God as well. This whole movie is centered on that very question.
Dr.Wily I agree! It’s sad that people usually just say it’s confusing. It’s definitely a movie that involves a lot of analysis to pick up on all aspects.
I didn't even notice that this video is almost half an hour long. I'm honestly amazed this movie explanation is well explained. Though I watched a different version of this movie where he actually died.
@@psyghtseer You gotta remember, this was pre 2012 before people hated Cusack and I've never seen that movie so it doesn't bother me. He is basically tortured all movie anyways so perhaps you would enjoy seeing your not so favorite actor literally put thru hell =)
@@forgotaboutbre lol, I did consider that part. I would have probably enjoyed Johnny depp a lil more in this movie but would have been sad about his constant tortue
@@MetaKnight964 I think we may be referring to the 7 seals, which when undone begin the apocalypse. May be wrong. It's been awhile since I've read Revelation.
This was incredible man but where did you get the layers of hell picture in the beginning? Its the only one ive seen that shows the layers and the cantos all in one
I want to remind something very important about Dante’s Inferno. I took a class which extensively covered Dante and his writings in history. He wrote the story/poem not with the aim to convey how he imagines hell but as a criticism of extreme corruption, disloyalty, and betrayal in Italy at the time where no one could have been trusted and money ran everything.
wolfaesthetic Yes, sure. It’s happening in all places and times which is probably why he used an example of hell as having permanent places for such people implying that it is a problem for all humanity. The main unique thing about poem is that he gave the deepest (implying worst) place in hell to the betrayers and it’s frozen solid. Sinner me were frozen or freezing there without escape.
Jo Bruser Yes, of course. It’s just that Dante wrote about Italy because he was from there, Florence. He knew some people would read it and know what it is about. So the social commentary was aimed at the audiences familiar or possibly familiar with it. I do think it is implied it is like that everywhere actually because of the parallel with the Bible and Christianity, which teaches that all humans everywhere are suffering from the same sinful temptations and bad behavior.
@@pammunoz546 If I recall correctly, the tape recorder ending isn't really in circulation anymore, as the Blu-rays have a different ending. Which is a shame because I feel like that's the best ending.
@@pammunoz546 Sam Jackson shows up at his burial at the cemetery with a box of affects he found in the burned out room. Among them is the man's tape recorder. His ex rejects the box and admonishes Jackson's character. He returns to his car with the box, opens it up and presses PLAY on the recorder. It's still working, and you hear Cusack's character saying and experiencing everything he actually experienced. Then Jackson drives off., before the ghost scene with Cusack hearing his daughter's voice and haunting the remnants of the hotel room. It's important to note that when Jackson confronts the ex, he states that Cusack's character was actually a hero, because he made the room forever uninhabitable.
This is hands down the best movie analysis to ever grace the tube. Thank you! I'd like to add that the doppelganger is his more sinful self, being dressed in black and sitting in front of an empty block. and most importantly: he is smoking a cigarette. As Mike makes a big deal out of having quit smoking and carrying around his last cigarett wherever he goes. I do prefer the director's cut ending where he doesn't live. It makes his sacrifice more impactful and the film less hollywood. He can only truly redeem himself by making the ultimate sacrifice.
Fucking made me cry man. This movie always made me feel empathy for his despair this feeling like I was in a pool of it myself. Forcing me to think on reality for hours or days after seeing it. I cannot believe I forgot about this for a good year or more. Hands down my favorite psychological horror and one that truly scares me. Not just jump scares the fear of an ultimate punishment taking form as your own failings your own greed and anger your own laziness and selfishness your lack of love for others unraveling your sanity inch by inch.
That is why I quit drinking over 10 years ago, I saved my marriage, my relationship with my sons , my career , and my love of others before my wants / needs / etc . The best move I’ve made in the chess game of life. God bless you all
@@nayyarrashid4661 Idk man I love and own triangle but this one fucked me up more. Maybe cuz I struggle with religious beliefs after being raised Christian so this one hits closer and I've said some of the things he says in this film. Triangle is Brilliant though a must watch for sure.
Nayyar Rashid yeah this movie is really, really good, but it's for everyone a personal thing, room 1408 fucked me more up!But like I said everybody has a different mindset.
Hopefully you've caught LikeStoriesOfOld's channel as well. Not to blow your top off, but he has a pretty excellent video on the meaning of life that I highly recommend. Saying this because I agree with your assessment. I was not expecting this level of research and effort in this video.
1408 is one of my most favorite horror movies and I'm glad someone did it justice by talking about the things that made this movie a cut above your conventional haunting movies.
Turns out I have never seen the original ending of this film, only ever seen the version where he dies at the end xD Never even knew it was a alternative ending...
I was so confused about this ending because the one I saw, he escapes the room but wakes up back in it. He never ended up escaping. Had no idea there are multiple endings
This is my fourth time watching this ever since yesterday.... There's something extraordinarily profound about this, and it touches me and I don't know what. You made me change the way I view this movie. It's amazing!
The urge to watch this film overpowered me, sorry, I just love it... can't finish your video. It seems great, I'll leave a like. I gotta go watch 1408 now.
17:17 - 17:41 - That scene kinda cracks me up. After Samuel L Jackson is gone from the scene, Just shows John Cusask screaming “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!” “WHAT DO YOU WAAAAANT” at the inside of a refrigerator. And on top of that, it shows him attacking the inside of the fridge too. 🤣 I just thought it was a funny looking sight.
This was such an eloquent gut punch to absorb (as a confused agnostic.) Every single sentence you have written and each frame explained is a tour de force of moral inquiry. Your work deserves acclaim and preservation in film studies archives, at the very least.
God, that ending... No idea why they'd change it. Just the main character staring at his loving wife, who he knew never believed him until this moment... Brilliant and cathartic.
Ive always found it fascinating that most *Christ* -ians, for some reason, seem too follow the old Jewish texts more than the teachings of Christ himself. What's funny is that Jesus never preached of heaven and hell, he only made vague statements that evangelicals take out of context and latch onto, projecting their violent world views onto them.
I worked at a upscale hotel in Pittsburgh, one night my friends and I watched this movie and I really didn't pay much attention to it... the next day at work I was approached by a very unpleasant woman at the desk. She asked me what rooms had a hot tub and I without thinking booked her into 1408. This was at the end of the night and I didn't think much of it. The next day I received a call before work from my manager asking about the woman because she didn't have a reservation and I failed to copy her ID... when I got to work I was approached by detectives... the woman was found dead in the hot tub, she had taken a bunch of pills and slit her wrist... very unnerving
I actually prefer the alternate ending. With the alternate, it actually places Mike with his daughter, instead of his wife. He sacrifices his soul in order to protect other souls from the hell that he had come to know as 1408. Once he passes away, the final scene shows the windows of 1408 outside of The Dolphin, burnt and charred. Eventually, the camera is level with the windows, peering into the room which is completely destroyed, due to the success of Mike's plan. There you see Mike, standing there smoking a cigarette, surrounded by his work of destroying 1408 (probably the piece of work he is most proud of). You hear his daughter call for him, and he turns around towards the door of 1408. He responds with "Yes, of course" and walks towards the door. He fades through the door, and then you hear the door shut, and lock, symbolizing that Mike is now at peace, Nirvana, etc. to spend the rest of eternity with his daughter. This ending portrays the seriousness of the movie. The amount of hell Mike had deserved ultimately ended in his death. He wasnt allowed the opportunity to come back to life, explain what had happened to his wife, and enjoy what he had taken for granted all those years prior. No, he gave his soul for the mission of destroying this hell, 1408.
I didn’t actually see that conclusion at all. I think the meaning was that his daughter never actually died but it was something in his head and perhaps even his grieving for his daughter was his negative thinking about how he would think and behave IF that took place. So essentially fear. OR It could have meant that that he actually died before getting into the room. The room itself is an illusion he is seeing after he died or killed himself.
The directors cut with the original theater ending is the best version, it just is more coherent, some scenes cut add tension and explain more details. There are 2 other endings I first encountered on the blockbuster release. They also are interesting.
I mean as someone who originally knew nothing about the movie and watched it on tv in passing one day (the version where he dies), then months later buying the movie from the dollar store to show to friends, and seeing that it was the version where he lives, not knowing that this movie has different endings. I thought I was losing my mind. I think partly because in his death, he made the ultimate sacrifice, and could be at peace, while the one where he is saved just felt wrong for some reason.
As I watched this spellbinding film adapted from Stephen King's short story, I could not help but wonder how much of this was illustrated by King's unconscious mind. It is as this review suggests, a quintessential metaphysical tour de force, littered archetypal imagery and symbolic easter eggs. The only weak spots are the references to Dante's inferno, which give away the literary structure of the plot. Still, this is an unbelievably good horror film and a great film in general. King is and will always be one the best wtiters and storytellers of the 21st century. John Cusack is absolutely brilliant in this film as well! A+ overall.
That was incredible, you seriously made me do a complete 180 on 1408. Seriously, you took a so so average film and made it one of my favorite horror/thriller films of all time. Kudos👍
I don't know about that. Artists usually never appreciate an interpretative take on their song, movie, painting, etc. For one, the critic could never understand the artists motives 100%. Two, even if the reviewer could get everything right, the artist doesn't like to have his obscure ideas revealed in totality, especially if they are not doing the reveal themself. If the piece is supposed to induce thought, sometimes even into several distinct ideas or morals, they don't like it narrowed to a one, even if it is the primary.
They did send it, he said yea that's cool...... I wrote it that way. . . . . . Meme with picture of king and song playing 'dam it feels good to be a gangsta'
You know, when I first saw this movie, I thought it was silly. Kind of a bummer. Now that I'm older, and wiser, and now that I've seen your video, good lord...this is a good movie. This is a horror movie that tells a story, leaves it open, keeps it SIMPLE while having so much depth. The main character, is also NOT AN IDIOT. And the biggest part that makes it wonderful? It's a mental horror, not a fear horror. This is a horror that you watch, and try to understand. When you understand it, it's not "scary" it's "intelligent." Thank you so much, I love this and I think I'll give 1408 another watch!
I prefer the theatrical cut ending’s somewhat. Mostly because of Samuel L. Jackson’s character. In the theatrical cut it is somewhat understood that he knows something we don’t. That he’s somehow part of everything. But in the alternate cut. He seems scared and concerned. He’s even spooked by the ghost in the car. That takes all the mystery that was built up upon the character away for me.
I saw this in theaters and at the time I thought it was goofy. However when I rewatched it as an adult I understood how psychologically scary it is. But for his POV he said there would be no god to protect us from them. That’s where he’s wrong. Sort of. If those things exist that are evil then it must mean that the good entities also exist. There’s no one without the other. But my favorite scene for some reason has always been the part where Sam Jackson is sitting in his office and finds out Mike beat the room so he pours himself a drink and says “Well done mr Enslin”.
I think it's neat how some horror only lands once you're an adult. I saw The Shining as a teenager and thought it was creepy and a bit boring. Watched it as an adult and a father and was horrified
Boy10Dio i loved this movie, especially when we thought he escaped, but didnt and the mailroom started to get destroyed, but this video essay makes me appreciate it way more
Very good analysis... One other aspect of importance I'd like to point out. Later on as the film goes on and all this happening to him. Once again he opens the Bible hoping to seek relief, only to find the pages totally empty. This illustrates how he is separated from God. Overall this is a pretty effective scary flick with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. One of the many standout scenes of this movie is when he observes two people (from long ago) who jump out of the window. First a man and then a woman (presumably the wife noted by her crying in grief because her husband jumped out first). Using "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters was effective in that the song is supposed to be about a new beginning in a relationship. Instead, the song portends a new beginning of torment. Also notice how the song goes off key and slows down later in the movie which adds to the overall effect and reinforces the scene. Although it did good in the theaters and can be judged a success, it should have been a blockbuster. But sometimes the spookiest of movies are underrated and fly under the radar generally become cult classics like "Carnival of Souls", ""Phantasm" and the original 1968 "Night of The Living Dead". This one deserves to be in that category as 'cult classic' despite being released in 2007.
Can't forget how everyone hated The Shining when it was released lol. This film definitely blew me away. I'd seen it for years at DVD stores and avoided it because the cover made it look like mediocre shlock, but then when I finally watched it simply because I found out John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson were in it, it amazed me! I think that definitely fits the criteria for cult classic.
Yeah, I remember watching the film when it released theatrically, having recently read the short story collection it was originally published in. It was the only story in that collection that was genuinely unnerving, and when I saw the film I thought it was easily the best or second best adaptation of a work by King I had ever seen (it competes with The Mist for that title in my eyes). A real under-appreciated film that was better produced than I thought possible. And frankly, one of John Cusack's best performances, since the entire film rests on buying his emotional state. But even then, on opening weekend, it was not drawing that much of a crowd. Shame really.
I've watched this video about 10 times in the past years. First time I watched it sent me down a rabbit hole of horror symbolism. Thank you so much for this.
I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS THANK YOU. Man the first time I saw this film I was like "oh, this is what horror should look like." I had seen a few films in the genre that were OK to pretty deece but this was the first that made me not just shocked or jump scared, but truly horrified, and not afraid. It made me think of the endless ways a mind can torment itself into total cataclysmic destruction and make death seem like an escape. AND THE WAY IT ENDS it reminds me of the ritual, or even the newer evil dead. The triumph in the face of cosmic evil so unknowable the catharsis of crawling out of hell and shouting back at the devils from the other side is like falling willingly into shockingly cold water. FUCK MAN. fuck.
10:20 "So, if you've made your peace. Then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it, that's all. Understand?" - Louie, from "Jacob's Ladder"
@@johnturtle6649 It's not a remake necessarily, pretty sure its a couple of people going through a similiar experience. I still agree with your doubts.
@@thothheartmaat2833 I basically have a sneaking suspicion that people can interpret angels to be demons. Because they are expressing a tarnished version of themselves. One's angels are trying to the destroy this attachment/memory that keeps one from being an inauthentic version of him/herself. That's why I link that quote to that particular scene, hammer weilding woman could be interpreted as an angel. She goes after the shadow version of Cusack. He turns to find that she not there, she doesnt want all of him. Just the part that is not a pure expression of himself.
While this video provides a great analysis it really doesn't paint god in a good light. So, god tortures this man's soul with unneccessary strain. According to the principles of conditioning, in other words how your "god" supposedly has created us, it is absolutely rational to refuse the concept of a benevolent higher being. Where's the "Mercy" in this so called "mercyful" god? God seems so much worse than jigsaw. That guy at least kills you only once. Ps. You know what's even worse? There is no limbo in the new testament (jesus himself declared that). No purgatory. Only ETERNAL hell. ETERNAL punishment for a FINITE "crime" in the eyes of a sick tyrant. PPs. Would you pray to kim jong un if he'd threaten you with eternal death, assuming this is the only life there is?
Kenji Wright to be fair 1408 and other fictional writings with similar heaven/hell-God/devil themes kind of put the protagonist through a trial or Crucible(see what I did there? Lol). It's kind of like the saying, "god only helps those who help themselves". In 1408 god isn't the antagonist, a devil/djin/demonic force is. The typical application of god in modern works (like 1408 and shamalamadingdong's 'Devil', Constantine, the book of Eli, the da Vinci code, etc.) is such that he works with subtle nudges as opposed to just outright banishing a demon or saving the hero. And they are 'tests and trials'. If Eli failed to deliver the last Bible then that would be it, he would have failed his trial. God in cinema allows us to be self determanitory(except legion where he takes wishy washy sides). That can kinda sorta ify maybe attributed to how badly god messed up when he flooded the world and decided he would never do that again(possibly even interfere directly at all).
Wow I’m taking aback, do you know how many years I’ve always know what 1408 represented, and now to see I’m not being called “OCD” by my friend who says I over analyze horror movies. Lmao this was a great video and the narration is FLAWLESS!!! I think you have a new subscriber. 😉
I JUST found your channel now. And while I usually pause a video halfway through, to praise a newfound channel, I found myself unable to stop watching and listening until the very end! I love 1408 and your breakdown and analysis of this amazing movie was spot on and perfect. I've subbed, and I will definitely be telling others about your channel.
This ending better fits the theme of the Inferno and the Hotel Dolphin being part of the Afterlife. The funeral ending just seems like an excuse for a jumpscare.
Wow, loved your explanation of the movie using the 7 circles of hell. Some people bash Stephen King as a one trick pony horror writer. While some of his work is outright horror, he also creates complex stories about characters that dispel that notion. The scariest part of this movie for me was when the doppelganger in the laptop smiles and winks. Bruhhhhh!! I prefer the alternate ending where Mike dies, To me it was more realistic. I love this movie, and was blown away by Cusak's performance. I'm subbing!!
In multiple aspects, one could also compare *Silent Hill 2's* themes of acknowledgement of/penance for sin + James Sunderland's journey to Dante's travels through Hell, although the levels would likely be more difficult to define & personify.
I remember watching this movie in theaters as a child with my dad and I just recall leaving really disappointed because I didn’t understand the movie but I vividly remember my dad being solemn and quiet after exiting the theatre and on the drive home too I thought he didn’t like the movie either so I just didn’t bring it up again, now years later and with help from this video I realize that my dad probably saw something in this movie that resembled his own life and conflicts, he passed away years ago so I can’t talk to him about it and I feel bad that I won’t ever know the kind of burdens he carried and what he was afraid of
Wow, this was really deep. It never even occurred to me that Mike died at the beginning of the film, but hearing you explain it makes perfect sense. Great video!
Only movie I've seen by myself at the Theater, there was maybe 20-25 other people there so there were alot of open seats, I took the back row which was completely empty. The movie was amazing, it pulled me in with that beginning and him meeting Samuel Jackson and his description and feeling of the room, the scribbled writing "My Brother was Eaten Alive by Wolves on the Connecticut Turnpike" freaked me out for some reason and has always stuck with me, what was the story behind this, why did it strike such a creepy unsettling cord with me, being its a 2-3 second scene that goes by real quick.. So the movie was disturbing and scary as all hell, being in that pitch black theater all by myself didn't help, a few times the movie caught me off guard and I turned to look at someone else's reaction, quickly remembering I was by myself, so I had to sit there with goose bumps running down my spine, no one made a sound the entire time.. towards the end it seems like the movie has wrapped up, and it looks like it was a " Near Death Experience " to make him want to live again after losing his kid. I was like, oh wow this is crazy, I'm cool with this trippy ending, he wrote a book, was patching things up with his wife etc, I was like, oh I bet they'll be a cliff hanger right at the end! At that point the movie took the hardest left turn I had ever seen, thrusting us the audience back into that hellish room, with the alarming going off.. I almost felt like I was losing my mind at that point, I was so positive the movie was wrapping up, now i'm being thrust into the most intense, and horrific moments of the final act of the movie, with another 20-25 minutes still left.. leaving the theater I almost felt drained by the experience.. love that movie.
Its strange you noticed that quote on the documents. It was the same for me. That phrase has stuck with me for years. I cannot explain why I feel such a weird connection to it. I've even looked into the phrase and I havnt found anything on it yet.
@@fienyx7333 same here! That quote always stuck with me and I never understood why. Maybe because I love my brother and the thought of that breaks my heart ):
This my favorite retrospective video. Everytime is appears on my home feed i give it a watch. 1408 is one of my favorite psychological horror film to date and you made the perfect retrospective on it in my opinion.
"John answered, saying to them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I comes, the lace of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." The water bursting into the room mirrors the Genesis flood which gave a new start to the world but was more or less only a reset. God said the final cleansing would be with fire, so the ending of the movie was displaying that he had reached his full cleansing and true reformation.
@@cultusfetus it was my first horror movie too, I saw it as a kid because my mom was too afraid to watch it alone. It ended up being a childhood nightmare.
I always loved that quote from the movie that wasn't in the book... "Some smart-ass talked about the banality of evil." That was actually King himself who commented on banal evil in his classic vampire novel, "'Salem's Lot".
What did that scene mean? Metaphysically as in all of what happened actually happened and the laymen could understand? or that he's still stuck in hell and everyone he knows is with him?
Mayonnaise Moose It was meant to be literal, at least that’s the only way I’ve ever interpreted it. She hears the voice of her dead daughter, hence showing her that not only is her husband truly changed and a “believer”, but had proof that he spoke to their daughter and held her in his arms. How else would someone react if they heard the voice of their dead child on a voice recorder speaking to their spouse?? And the look on his face isn’t one of evil or foreboding, it’s a look of contentment. *He’s not only been purged of his sinful nature, but is at ease that he will see his daughter again someday.*
Fascinating breakdown. The messages are all in the movie, but the spectacle somewhat obscures their meanings. Now I want to watch the movie again with a "new set of eyes". Thank you.
There's something distinctly Faustian about 1408 as well. Mike has driven himself from God, effectively creating his own hell within the hotel room itself. This is compounded by his desire to have the knowledge of whether God or an afterlife even exists.
Just a reminder, since I'm at the lust part. Lust does not have to be only for women. I'd say it's more believable that he's lusting after the thrill of finding supernatural evidence.
Brilliant. Well done. The only criticism I can think of is the theatrical ending chosen over the director's cut for analysis. However, it must be said that you covered the theatrical ending very well and tied together what was typically seen as a cheap money-grab ending over the more profound director's cut. Again, brilliant.
This has got to be the most intelligent and well thought out analysis of this film I've ever seen. I never would have thought to parallel this film with Dante's Inferno. The way you explained it made so much sense.
According to Dante, merely existing is reason enough to be cast into hell. Even Christ has been ill-mannered, sullen, wrathful, humorless, and a contrarian. The Talmudic scrolls claim that Jesus is boiling in hell now for being a contrarian. I guess Dante should have thought twice about making it to where merely farting is viewed as being hell-worthy, since he seems to have forgotten that Christ himself has a hell-bound heart. The moral of the story is that religion is stupid, and holy men are con-artists.
@@AngryRamboShow >according to Dante Sure thing champ >According to the Talmud The book of the synagogue of Satan? Which orchestrated to have Christ crucified? I bet they do believe some retarded shit in that book
Not Important I'm not religious, but I still believe we're all capable of creating our own metaphorical hell. -perverted and perverting, weaving itself insidiously into the very fabric of life. Find that movie quote
This is a great and well thought out video with more than just a parallel to dante's inferno describing Room 1408! It touches on what dante's inferno implies as well and redemption! I'm not Christian and make UA-cam videos on my Gods and Goddesses, but I feel these thoughts are universally understood!
This explanation of 1408 was fantastic. I watched this movie a dozen times and Dante's Inferno never crossed my mind. Such an awesome way of putting things in a different perspective for all of us. Great work!
What an awesome, epic spectacle of a video essay. I've always liked this movie but never had the amount of appreciation for its layers that I do now after seeing this. Keep up the great work, guys!
Couldn't agree more. An exceptional analysis; genuinely interesting and revelatory. Well done indeed.
Honestly was quite impressed aswell, Wasn't expecting this amount of depth at all
This mutafucka just scared me...
Whole different aspect.
This video is nuts. It's what happens when you have a theory and really want to sell it. You can bend enough and ignore enough info to convince plenty of people you're right. But the movie literally goes out of it's way to literally tell us things that are completely contradictory to this video.
Mike doesn't die in the beginning, we know this from his funeral one one ending.
He isn't seeking god. We know this because he literally tells us he's looking for ghosts. He writes books about ghosts and not books about god. His soul searching book is a book about the loss of a child and not religious. In the second of two possible endings it is not a god that is revealed to him, it's the proof of the paranormal and ghosts.
The room isn't hell. The movie goes out of it's way to tell us it's just an evil room, and does so numerous times.
It's also interesting to note that room 1408 means the 8th room on floor 14. However, most tall buildings don't have 13th floor because it is considered unlucky. Usually jumping from floor 12 to 14. This means room 1408 is on the wrongly labeled 13th floor. Making it room 1308, which is the year the Divine Comedy began being written.
HeimdallsDottir actually also/or 1+4+0+8=13
@@StopFear
but 1+3=4,
& 4!=24.
If it jumps from 12 to 14 that makes floor number 14 the 13th floor. Even if you call it and sign it with "14" and not "13".
its not "most" , most buildings don't skip a 13th floor. It is very uncommon just so you know.
Oooo!
Does anyone else think John Cusack gave an awesome performance in this film? I thought he did great. Especially in parts where sudden realization sets in for him and how he reacts to them. It’s like you can actually see his mind taking a brief moment to register what just happened. Like when he suddenly believes he’s being spied on by a camera in the ceiling vent. Or when he’s crawling through the vent looking down into the other room, and she looks up at him, then he yells “Jesus Christ!” And recoils. And obviously one of the most important ones, when he has the whole “I was out!” scene.
PotawatomiThunderNew honestly very under the radar. Oscar worthy in my eyes.
@@aamesworld another under the radar Cusak/King film is Cell, Samuel L Jackson is also in it, seems at first like a different spin on the zombie/mind control/virus stories, but Sai King doesn't try to make it palatable, I read the book before seeing the film, but the ending is still a shock to see
Yes it's a career best.
Mary Burdette hahahahha 🤣🤣🤣🤣 that scene killed me. He sees Samuel L Jackson’s character, but obviously he’s not really in there. So when they do the over-the-shoulder view, it’s just John Cusack with the door open yelling “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?” at the inside of a normal refrigerator hahah! Like just the image of him berating a bunch of inanimate food and drinks was hilarious to me. 😂
@Daniel Appleton there is no Dana only Zuul
1408 still holds up. So intense and psychologically terrifying.
I thought the ending was kinda shitty after the whole almost drowning and freezing then burning part. Otherwise it's enjoyable
I can't find another horror movie that's as good as this. I feel like I've already watched every great horror movies.
@@professorcookie1744 watch the russian movie come and see :)
@@aligmal5031 Oh yes I've seen that movie and it was fantastic! The cinematography and the whole atmosphere of the movie gave me chills. The brutality of war.
That window scene is one of the most effective scenes I have ever seen in a horror movie. I absolutely love it.
Lindsey M that window scene haunted me for months after watching the movie. Truly memorable.
Which window scene do you mean? Are you talking about the one where he was looking out at the window across from him, or the one where he climbs out of his window to get to the other one and then just sees a long stretch of wall with no window??? Or do you even mean one of the smaller scale window moments where he gets his hand smashed in the window or when he sees figures jumping out?
@@PotawatomiThunderNew
They don't know.
@@PotawatomiThunderNew for me the one where he's trying to communicate with a supposed office worker working overtime only to see it's his doppelganger with a dead eyed stare mimicking his every move.
Dang that scared me for days! 😮
If you mean the scene where he sees himself in the window, that concept always terrifies me because yeah things can be scary like monsters or demons but the one thing you’re not meant to ever see standing in front of yourself, is yourself and I think that’s why it’s so scary
That is high-end analysis documentary-style. You really can't get this level of quality from Netflix and Hulu. Bravo sir 10 out of 10 that was just a damn good video
Hulu is kind control n destruction watch their commercials " thisis your mind on hulu" (turns on blender =rrrrrrrrrr) lol t v is mind control "programming" TURN IT OFF!!!
Uhmmm... I'd say that's due to the simple fact that Netflix or Hulu or any other streaming service I know of do any sort of analysis of film's at all!!
...like duhhh!
very very good . 👏👏👏
@@tonycariello8478 that’s not true tho. See “room 247”... behind the scenes of LOTR... MANY others are available on Netflix and hulu
What really freaks me out about this movie, is that it really reminds me of when I had a horrible trip on acid. I experienced, what felt like, a never ending cycle of horrible events repeating over and over, which I thought was hell, and that satan was torturing me, and every time I thought it was about to stop, it would start over again, and it really truly felt like this movie in a sense.
Drugs allow our spirits to open a portal to satan. What you experienced was real not a bad trip…give your life to God, its the only way any of us can avoid what you saw..✝️❤️
@@Proverbs--tx6yr NEEEEEERD!
admit it emma.... something ugly happened during that trip [or that year found you in a bad 'life situation'] and the acid just intensified your natural bad reaction to that ugliness.
@@billsales3235 nah it was definitely more suppressed horrible fears I always had growing up of hell and demons and shit that I just tried to forget about, but now I just don’t believe in it so I’m doing much better now lol
@@Proverbs--tx6yr I’m sorry but I definitely believe that to be incorrect. Growing up, I was constantly taught about demons, demon possession & hell, and this ingrained a very deep and horrible fear of these things. I would sometimes wake up in the middle of night crying from nightmares, and all these fears came up during this trip because that is what LSD has the tendency to do. It activates certain neurotransmitters that cause you to just be more aware of certain things happening in your subconscious brain. Once I realized this, I stopped fearing all of those things and I’m much better now for it.
"as you are, i was, as i am, you will be", terrifying reality
@Deliq You must be 18 or something? 30-40 especially is like 20-30 with actual cash, its not something to dread at all man.
@Deliq Dont give up is all i can say man :l
Ever heard about the dude that went to Mexico with his last savings that was to last a few weeks but came back after a few months determined to keep trucking?
Hookers and cocaine can fix a lot of issues if family life isnt tempting right now.
@Deliq Well now i know why you dont like living at least :l
@stark1987 There's a reason why we use the word "monster" to describe something horrible. Look up its etymology.
true
1408 was attacked by critics and called mediocre when it released, but that's total bullshit, this is a classic and one of John's best performances!
That awful parking job that Mike pulls 9:20 at the post office is why he gets it in the end.
to be fair, the car to left is very much parked over to the right, so he is in his lane, but yeah still lol
Hehehe.... yeah that is a pretty awful job!!!
How could he even open his car door and get out?
Honestly, that makes sense
Typical behavior of a jaded, miserable person.
Is it me or is this video extremely well written? The research done on this movie is mind boggling. It's great. I was absorbed for 30 minutes.
7:47 "As you are, I was. As I am, you will be." - best scene ever.
Tu fui, ego eris.
It sounded like he was putting a curse on Mike. 😊
1408 was such a hardcore story from King at the time. The thing that struck me when I listened to the audiobook is that, unlike many of his stories that deal with evil, this one had a very hard edge with absolutely no hint of the "tongue in cheek." -- just the purest, most straightforward, succinct, compact, concentrated example of something evil that I think King ever wrote. Short and sweet, and 100% black as hell.
^^ This comment ^^
Like my coffee.
Or like the blackest of heavy metal, the old venom records, et al.
Still the creepiest part to me melting phone--
"ignore the siren, even if you leave this room you can never leave this room...we have killed your friends... Every friend is now dead"
Read the mini-novel in Stephen King's "Everything's Eventual". The short story is even more of a headfuck.
Drayven Crownen jokes on you jackass! I have no friends...
Jacques Malan 😂 good one!
Yes! Even in the short story, the phone was the part that got me.
Jacques Malan essentially, that is the song version of this film and Dantes Inferno
Dante's Divine Comedy was, first & foremost, a political commentary on how everyone in Florence sucked for kicking him out
When the writer is so mad, he writes a fanfiction of you going to hell.
Lmao
So like God Dante is a vengeful sullen brat. I guess he is going to hell after all.
First and foremost? Nah.
@@thegnome73 elaborate.
1408 has been my favorite horror film for as long as I can remember. I love psychological horror so much because rather than relying on jump scares, it relies on your mind and this movie focuses solely on that. I love how the room was a physical version of his own hell and how it would use every weakness he had against him. It’s a brilliant movie and I always felt like it had an even deeper underlying meaning and I feel like you found that. This video essay was so amazing, ;-; thank you for giving this movie the recognition it deserves
This is the movie I reference when someone asks what a "bad trip" feels like in your mind.
woah, you too?
I too believe this. I’ve had many bad trips that really all seem to follow a layering spiral of sin and the pain that comes with it. Every trip I’ve done has been heroic doses. My first trip I took 5 hits of acid and it started a bad trip. And in the end? Paradise. “Coming down” I see as coming down from paradise and entering reality again. My psyche is currently stuck thinkin about everything and wondering why it is the way it is and theorizing upon that question and I hate it. 😅
...yes..and “In the Mouth of Madness” is like a nervous breakdown.
@@Die_Nasty yeeeeeeeah, for SURE!
G The Entity, exactly what I thought.
I love people who "see through" a movie, not just "watching" a movie.
thank you for this :)
Ordinarily “they were dead the whole time”/“layers of hell” analyses are incredibly cliche and bad - but since this movie actually makes a direct reference to dante it’s one of the few where it’s a completely valid interpretation. The actual structure doesn’t quite line up with the divine comedy but I think it’s definitely intentional that all the circles’ punishments are there. Anyway, you make great video essays! Thanks for selling me on a movie I’d never heard of before!
Came expecting philosophy, got dogma instead.
@@ChrisJones-rd4wb You do understand that most philosophers in history have been religious? "Dogma" is anything taken as brute fact for a system to function regardless, secularists have their own set of them.
@@ChrisJones-rd4wb It's like history. The points he was making related to those historical religious concepts. To ignore it would have made this video far less impactful and meaningful. It's clear that the movie was taking cues from Dante's Inferno as well. So I'm not sure what the problem is, even if some of the concepts happen to be considered religious "dogma" to some.
@@ChrisJones-rd4wb Also, there is philosophy in religion. I literally took a course in college called "The Philosophy of Religion"
It covered people who didn't believe in God as well. This whole movie is centered on that very question.
This was great! 1408 remains one of the best psychological horrors ever made.
Dr.Wily I agree! It’s sad that people usually just say it’s confusing. It’s definitely a movie that involves a lot of analysis to pick up on all aspects.
IKR!!!
I am so impressed, and I am subbing, too! Thanks for this channel.
hmmm
It gives me a similar feel to PT
I didn't even notice that this video is almost half an hour long. I'm honestly amazed this movie explanation is well explained. Though I watched a different version of this movie where he actually died.
Samuel Jackson: 52 people have died in this room.
Main Character: yeah nothing suspicious about that.
fuck the room, im changing hotels!
*John Cusack
52 motherfucking people have died in that room
56
it's an evil fucking room
Did this movie actually receive that negative criticism you mentioned in the beginning!? I fucking LOVED every single thing about this movie.
its just that no one likes john cusack
@@psyghtseer Too bad cuz Cusack is cast ideally for this role
@@forgotaboutbre cant imagine literally anyone else huh
@@psyghtseer You gotta remember, this was pre 2012 before people hated Cusack and I've never seen that movie so it doesn't bother me. He is basically tortured all movie anyways so perhaps you would enjoy seeing your not so favorite actor literally put thru hell =)
@@forgotaboutbre lol, I did consider that part. I would have probably enjoyed Johnny depp a lil more in this movie but would have been sad about his constant tortue
That "I WAS OUT" moment resonates with anyone who has ever gotten back with an ex and realized you done fucked up getting back in again.
Cant Just Exist facts lol
So deep. You are truly the Martin Luther King Jr. of our generation...
The firemen who save him also both have the number 7 on their helmets. The number of the Seal of God.
The bible mentions so such thing.
@@MetaKnight964 I think we may be referring to the 7 seals, which when undone begin the apocalypse. May be wrong. It's been awhile since I've read Revelation.
marcos laureano , Possibly! Good observation!
He burns to death dude
No he lives in the end with his wife ....
Wow! This movie has always been underrated for me, but you just hit a whole new level of depth. Congratulations on the great essay! Subbed.
What movie is this ?
@Daniel Valdez yea I just got done watching it.
lol thought i'd see A Matter of Film here
This was incredible man but where did you get the layers of hell picture in the beginning? Its the only one ive seen that shows the layers and the cantos all in one
Thank you. Because of you I looked to check, How the heck was I not already subscribed? ;")
I NEVER considered 1408 to be a depiction of the inferno.. well done sir
I want to remind something very important about Dante’s Inferno. I took a class which extensively covered Dante and his writings in history. He wrote the story/poem not with the aim to convey how he imagines hell but as a criticism of extreme corruption, disloyalty, and betrayal in Italy at the time where no one could have been trusted and money ran everything.
StopFear sounds alot like these last days
Good to know some things don't change eh?
wolfaesthetic Yes, sure. It’s happening in all places and times which is probably why he used an example of hell as having permanent places for such people implying that it is a problem for all humanity.
The main unique thing about poem is that he gave the deepest (implying worst) place in hell to the betrayers and it’s frozen solid. Sinner me were frozen or freezing there without escape.
Wouldn't that be the same for every nation or at least the UNITED STATES.
Jo Bruser Yes, of course. It’s just that Dante wrote about Italy because he was from there, Florence. He knew some people would read it and know what it is about. So the social commentary was aimed at the audiences familiar or possibly familiar with it. I do think it is implied it is like that everywhere actually because of the parallel with the Bible and Christianity, which teaches that all humans everywhere are suffering from the same sinful temptations and bad behavior.
I like the ending where he finds the tape recorder and his ex realizes it was all real.
that scene makes the hair stand up on end, such a good scene, makes me want more of the movie
@@WazzieShmozzie Yep, The ending always creeps me out. Every. Single. Time.
I havent seen that ending but ive seen the one he dies in the room and gets buried in the end
@@pammunoz546 If I recall correctly, the tape recorder ending isn't really in circulation anymore, as the Blu-rays have a different ending. Which is a shame because I feel like that's the best ending.
@@pammunoz546 Sam Jackson shows up at his burial at the cemetery with a box of affects he found in the burned out room. Among them is the man's tape recorder. His ex rejects the box and admonishes Jackson's character. He returns to his car with the box, opens it up and presses PLAY on the recorder. It's still working, and you hear Cusack's character saying and experiencing everything he actually experienced. Then Jackson drives off., before the ghost scene with Cusack hearing his daughter's voice and haunting the remnants of the hotel room. It's important to note that when Jackson confronts the ex, he states that Cusack's character was actually a hero, because he made the room forever uninhabitable.
This is hands down the best movie analysis to ever grace the tube. Thank you!
I'd like to add that the doppelganger is his more sinful self, being dressed in black and sitting in front of an empty block. and most importantly: he is smoking a cigarette. As Mike makes a big deal out of having quit smoking and carrying around his last cigarett wherever he goes.
I do prefer the director's cut ending where he doesn't live. It makes his sacrifice more impactful and the film less hollywood. He can only truly redeem himself by making the ultimate sacrifice.
Fucking made me cry man. This movie always made me feel empathy for his despair this feeling like I was in a pool of it myself. Forcing me to think on reality for hours or days after seeing it. I cannot believe I forgot about this for a good year or more. Hands down my favorite psychological horror and one that truly scares me. Not just jump scares the fear of an ultimate punishment taking form as your own failings your own greed and anger your own laziness and selfishness your lack of love for others unraveling your sanity inch by inch.
Watch Triangle you will forget this one... It's even more heart wrenching than this one....
That is why I quit drinking over 10 years ago, I saved my marriage, my relationship with my sons , my career , and my love of others before my wants / needs / etc . The best move I’ve made in the chess game of life. God bless you all
@@nayyarrashid4661 Idk man I love and own triangle but this one fucked me up more. Maybe cuz I struggle with religious beliefs after being raised Christian so this one hits closer and I've said some of the things he says in this film. Triangle is Brilliant though a must watch for sure.
I have same experience..
Nayyar Rashid yeah this movie is really, really good, but it's for everyone a personal thing, room 1408 fucked me more up!But like I said everybody has a different mindset.
This is honestly one of the greatest UA-cam videos I’ve seen in a long time. You should be more than proud of yourself.
Which circle is that?
skachor ahaha you cheeky bastard
Agreed. Superb job.
Hopefully you've caught LikeStoriesOfOld's channel as well. Not to blow your top off, but he has a pretty excellent video on the meaning of life that I highly recommend. Saying this because I agree with your assessment. I was not expecting this level of research and effort in this video.
1408 has always been my favorite horror movie. It’s beyond underrated and I appreciate it more than ever after this video essay 💗
1408 is one of my most favorite horror movies and I'm glad someone did it justice by talking about the things that made this movie a cut above your conventional haunting movies.
Turns out I have never seen the original ending of this film, only ever seen the version where he dies at the end xD
Never even knew it was a alternative ending...
There’s like 3 or 4 ending I think
Me neither boyyo..
I was so confused about this ending because the one I saw, he escapes the room but wakes up back in it. He never ended up escaping. Had no idea there are multiple endings
devsox1 the ending I got was that he burned the hotel and he dies but come back to hunt Samuel Jackson
Me too! But I guess if he dies that completely change the analysis of the video because he can't be in paradise.
God, the Doppelganger part was just pure darkness in a video
This is my fourth time watching this ever since yesterday.... There's something extraordinarily profound about this, and it touches me and I don't know what. You made me change the way I view this movie. It's amazing!
The urge to watch this film overpowered me, sorry, I just love it... can't finish your video. It seems great, I'll leave a like. I gotta go watch 1408 now.
WELL COME BACK AFTER DUH! Layered films are meant to be analyzed, rewatched... Talked about :)
17:17 - 17:41 - That scene kinda cracks me up. After Samuel L Jackson is gone from the scene, Just shows John Cusask screaming “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!” “WHAT DO YOU WAAAAANT” at the inside of a refrigerator. And on top of that, it shows him attacking the inside of the fridge too. 🤣 I just thought it was a funny looking sight.
That shit WAS hilarious🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I chose this randomly, for background noise while I work. I ended up watching the video instead of doing the work! Lol 😂 You did a great job! 👍
An in depth analysis of 1408 with connections with Greek and Christian myths, for background noise. That must be "hell" of a ride
This was such an eloquent gut punch to absorb (as a confused agnostic.)
Every single sentence you have written and each frame explained is a tour de force of moral inquiry.
Your work deserves acclaim and preservation in film studies archives, at the very least.
I agree that this was very well done. Kept my attention and made me question things from beginning to end.
God, that ending... No idea why they'd change it. Just the main character staring at his loving wife, who he knew never believed him until this moment... Brilliant and cathartic.
I've always thought that if Dante's Inferno was real, I'm really in for a wild ride when I die.
Tell me about it. 9 circles for 9 sins? Well how the fuck am I gonna exist in 9 circles simultane-
Ah shit...the cat furries have it all figured out.
We all are
Ive always found it fascinating that most *Christ* -ians, for some reason, seem too follow the old Jewish texts more than the teachings of Christ himself.
What's funny is that Jesus never preached of heaven and hell, he only made vague statements that evangelicals take out of context and latch onto, projecting their violent world views onto them.
@@ChrisJones-rd4wb there's alot of pastors that believes Hell does not exist, but its not easy for them to preach that
Chris Jones check out Richard Rohr if you haven’t already. Very intelligent guy and speaks a lot on that topic
Your video editing and writing is superb. Bravo. 30 minutes flew over me in an instant
I worked at a upscale hotel in Pittsburgh, one night my friends and I watched this movie and I really didn't pay much attention to it... the next day at work I was approached by a very unpleasant woman at the desk. She asked me what rooms had a hot tub and I without thinking booked her into 1408. This was at the end of the night and I didn't think much of it. The next day I received a call before work from my manager asking about the woman because she didn't have a reservation and I failed to copy her ID... when I got to work I was approached by detectives... the woman was found dead in the hot tub, she had taken a bunch of pills and slit her wrist... very unnerving
source: "trust me, bro" -_-
I actually prefer the alternate ending. With the alternate, it actually places Mike with his daughter, instead of his wife. He sacrifices his soul in order to protect other souls from the hell that he had come to know as 1408. Once he passes away, the final scene shows the windows of 1408 outside of The Dolphin, burnt and charred. Eventually, the camera is level with the windows, peering into the room which is completely destroyed, due to the success of Mike's plan. There you see Mike, standing there smoking a cigarette, surrounded by his work of destroying 1408 (probably the piece of work he is most proud of). You hear his daughter call for him, and he turns around towards the door of 1408. He responds with "Yes, of course" and walks towards the door. He fades through the door, and then you hear the door shut, and lock, symbolizing that Mike is now at peace, Nirvana, etc. to spend the rest of eternity with his daughter.
This ending portrays the seriousness of the movie. The amount of hell Mike had deserved ultimately ended in his death. He wasnt allowed the opportunity to come back to life, explain what had happened to his wife, and enjoy what he had taken for granted all those years prior. No, he gave his soul for the mission of destroying this hell, 1408.
I still like the fairy tale ending, where he survives.
So is this ending from the blue-ray version?
I didn’t actually see that conclusion at all. I think the meaning was that his daughter never actually died but it was something in his head and perhaps even his grieving for his daughter was his negative thinking about how he would think and behave IF that took place. So essentially fear.
OR
It could have meant that that he actually died before getting into the room. The room itself is an illusion he is seeing after he died or killed himself.
The directors cut with the original theater ending is the best version, it just is more coherent, some scenes cut add tension and explain more details. There are 2 other endings I first encountered on the blockbuster release. They also are interesting.
I mean as someone who originally knew nothing about the movie and watched it on tv in passing one day (the version where he dies), then months later buying the movie from the dollar store to show to friends, and seeing that it was the version where he lives, not knowing that this movie has different endings. I thought I was losing my mind. I think partly because in his death, he made the ultimate sacrifice, and could be at peace, while the one where he is saved just felt wrong for some reason.
I've never even seen this movie but this is brilliant, I'm sold. Physiological horror is my favourite genre
same
have a morbid obsession with it too. But I must say, it doesn't feel healthy
Very good movie
As I watched this spellbinding film adapted from Stephen King's short story, I could not help but wonder how much of this was illustrated by King's unconscious mind. It is as this review suggests, a quintessential metaphysical tour de force, littered archetypal imagery and symbolic easter eggs. The only weak spots are the references to Dante's inferno, which give away the literary structure of the plot. Still, this is an unbelievably good horror film and a great film in general. King is and will always be one the best wtiters and storytellers of the 21st century. John Cusack is absolutely brilliant in this film as well! A+ overall.
That was incredible, you seriously made me do a complete 180 on 1408. Seriously, you took a so so average film and made it one of my favorite horror/thriller films of all time. Kudos👍
I am so glad you did not say 360. You will not believe how many people I've seen say, 360.
You should really send this to Stephen King, I think he would love this! Incredible job man!
I don't know about that. Artists usually never appreciate an interpretative take on their song, movie, painting, etc. For one, the critic could never understand the artists motives 100%. Two, even if the reviewer could get everything right, the artist doesn't like to have his obscure ideas revealed in totality, especially if they are not doing the reveal themself. If the piece is supposed to induce thought, sometimes even into several distinct ideas or morals, they don't like it narrowed to a one, even if it is the primary.
They did send it, he said yea that's cool...... I wrote it that way. . . . . . Meme with picture of king and song playing 'dam it feels good to be a gangsta'
@@jrharlow4360 like the guy above said, artists doesn't like their tricks or motives to be revealed
“What makes the evil, is the evil inside the person.” 😮
You know, when I first saw this movie, I thought it was silly. Kind of a bummer. Now that I'm older, and wiser, and now that I've seen your video, good lord...this is a good movie. This is a horror movie that tells a story, leaves it open, keeps it SIMPLE while having so much depth. The main character, is also NOT AN IDIOT.
And the biggest part that makes it wonderful? It's a mental horror, not a fear horror. This is a horror that you watch, and try to understand. When you understand it, it's not "scary" it's "intelligent."
Thank you so much, I love this and I think I'll give 1408 another watch!
I prefer the theatrical cut ending’s somewhat. Mostly because of Samuel L. Jackson’s character. In the theatrical cut it is somewhat understood that he knows something we don’t. That he’s somehow part of everything. But in the alternate cut. He seems scared and concerned. He’s even spooked by the ghost in the car. That takes all the mystery that was built up upon the character away for me.
yea, and ending such an awesome movie with a shitty clichee mirrorjumpscare ruins it for me.
I saw this in theaters and at the time I thought it was goofy. However when I rewatched it as an adult I understood how psychologically scary it is. But for his POV he said there would be no god to protect us from them. That’s where he’s wrong. Sort of. If those things exist that are evil then it must mean that the good entities also exist. There’s no one without the other. But my favorite scene for some reason has always been the part where Sam Jackson is sitting in his office and finds out Mike beat the room so he pours himself a drink and says “Well done mr Enslin”.
I think it's neat how some horror only lands once you're an adult.
I saw The Shining as a teenager and thought it was creepy and a bit boring. Watched it as an adult and a father and was horrified
Fire is purifying. I feel that's probably why it was involved in his sacrifice.
Also, it's broad daylight and I was still getting chills.
"And turn to ash."
"Mr. Enslin, I don't feel so good."
epic.
This movie always fascinated me because it's like a bad trip & I can relate to the terror of feeling trapped in an alternate reality
i can tell a man's quality by his appreciation of the film room 1408.
literally instasubbed lol
Boy10Dio i loved this movie, especially when we thought he escaped, but didnt and the mailroom started to get destroyed, but this video essay makes me appreciate it way more
Boy10Dio I loved it
Me too! Subbed before I started watching lol
the mini story 1408 by king was good
Very good analysis...
One other aspect of importance I'd like to point out. Later on as the film goes on and all this happening to him. Once again he opens the Bible hoping to seek relief, only to find the pages totally empty. This illustrates how he is separated from God.
Overall this is a pretty effective scary flick with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. One of the many standout scenes of this movie is when he observes two people (from long ago) who jump out of the window. First a man and then a woman (presumably the wife noted by her crying in grief because her husband jumped out first).
Using "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters was effective in that the song is supposed to be about a new beginning in a relationship. Instead, the song portends a new beginning of torment. Also notice how the song goes off key and slows down later in the movie which adds to the overall effect and reinforces the scene.
Although it did good in the theaters and can be judged a success, it should have been a blockbuster. But sometimes the spookiest of movies are underrated and fly under the radar generally become cult classics like "Carnival of Souls", ""Phantasm" and the original 1968 "Night of The Living Dead". This one deserves to be in that category as 'cult classic' despite being released in 2007.
Can't forget how everyone hated The Shining when it was released lol. This film definitely blew me away. I'd seen it for years at DVD stores and avoided it because the cover made it look like mediocre shlock, but then when I finally watched it simply because I found out John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson were in it, it amazed me! I think that definitely fits the criteria for cult classic.
Yeah, I remember watching the film when it released theatrically, having recently read the short story collection it was originally published in. It was the only story in that collection that was genuinely unnerving, and when I saw the film I thought it was easily the best or second best adaptation of a work by King I had ever seen (it competes with The Mist for that title in my eyes). A real under-appreciated film that was better produced than I thought possible. And frankly, one of John Cusack's best performances, since the entire film rests on buying his emotional state.
But even then, on opening weekend, it was not drawing that much of a crowd. Shame really.
So glad you included Phantasm in your list. That one is incredible. The 71 Cuda itself deserves an in-depth analysis.
I've watched this video about 10 times in the past years. First time I watched it sent me down a rabbit hole of horror symbolism. Thank you so much for this.
"you only see what you want to see"
Rewatching again
Damn.. I always said this movie is underrated.
This is, by far, the best video I've seen on youtube with less that 100,000 views.
I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS THANK YOU.
Man the first time I saw this film I was like "oh, this is what horror should look like." I had seen a few films in the genre that were OK to pretty deece but this was the first that made me not just shocked or jump scared, but truly horrified, and not afraid. It made me think of the endless ways a mind can torment itself into total cataclysmic destruction and make death seem like an escape.
AND THE WAY IT ENDS
it reminds me of the ritual, or even the newer evil dead. The triumph in the face of cosmic evil so unknowable the catharsis of crawling out of hell and shouting back at the devils from the other side is like falling willingly into shockingly cold water. FUCK MAN. fuck.
10:20 "So, if you've made your peace. Then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it, that's all. Understand?"
- Louie, from "Jacob's Ladder"
I heard they're remaking that movie. It can't possibly turn out as well as the original.
What a goofy mind fuck of a quote.. what is good and what is evil? The devil's are angels and murder and death are good? Really?
@@johnturtle6649 It's not a remake necessarily, pretty sure its a couple of people going through a similiar experience. I still agree with your doubts.
@@thothheartmaat2833 I basically have a sneaking suspicion that people can interpret angels to be demons. Because they are expressing a tarnished version of themselves. One's angels are trying to the destroy this attachment/memory that keeps one from being an inauthentic version of him/herself.
That's why I link that quote to that particular scene, hammer weilding woman could be interpreted as an angel. She goes after the shadow version of Cusack. He turns to find that she not there, she doesnt want all of him. Just the part that is not a pure expression of himself.
@@thothheartmaat2833 Dont mock what you dont understand
'We've Only Just Begun' - The Carpenters ...... Jesus Christ - a Carpenter
Trying to correlate things there (as according to the movie).
Thor also liked working with a hammer. Jesus died being nailed to a cross. I'm seeing a correlation there.
Carpet makes up 60% of the word carpenter.
I have carpet in my room.
I walk on it.
I'm Jesus.
While this video provides a great analysis it really doesn't paint god in a good light.
So, god tortures this man's soul with unneccessary strain. According to the principles of conditioning, in other words how your "god" supposedly has created us, it is absolutely rational to refuse the concept of a benevolent higher being. Where's the "Mercy" in this so called "mercyful" god?
God seems so much worse than jigsaw. That guy at least kills you only once.
Ps. You know what's even worse? There is no limbo in the new testament (jesus himself declared that). No purgatory. Only ETERNAL hell. ETERNAL punishment for a FINITE "crime" in the eyes of a sick tyrant.
PPs. Would you pray to kim jong un if he'd threaten you with eternal death, assuming this is the only life there is?
Kenji Wright to be fair 1408 and other fictional writings with similar heaven/hell-God/devil themes kind of put the protagonist through a trial or Crucible(see what I did there? Lol).
It's kind of like the saying, "god only helps those who help themselves".
In 1408 god isn't the antagonist, a devil/djin/demonic force is.
The typical application of god in modern works (like 1408 and shamalamadingdong's 'Devil', Constantine, the book of Eli, the da Vinci code, etc.) is such that he works with subtle nudges as opposed to just outright banishing a demon or saving the hero.
And they are 'tests and trials'. If Eli failed to deliver the last Bible then that would be it, he would have failed his trial.
God in cinema allows us to be self determanitory(except legion where he takes wishy washy sides).
That can kinda sorta ify maybe attributed to how badly god messed up when he flooded the world and decided he would never do that again(possibly even interfere directly at all).
Wow I’m taking aback, do you know how many years I’ve always know what 1408 represented, and now to see I’m not being called “OCD” by my friend who says I over analyze horror movies. Lmao this was a great video and the narration is FLAWLESS!!! I think you have a new subscriber. 😉
Woah man that was deep. Good job, I knew there was more to this movie and I liked it. You were just able to explain why.
What you essentially created in this video was a sermon, and a deep, moving, and effective one at that. A sermon that I needed to hear.
Thank you.
I can wholeheartedly agree with that.
amen
Right on!
study Buddhism and Hinduism. They are philosophies that go deeper into this.
Good luck with your silly religion.
The timing of this video was incredible. I'm so glad I stumbled across it while journeying through the UA-cam abyss.
I JUST found your channel now. And while I usually pause a video halfway through, to praise a newfound channel, I found myself unable to stop watching and listening until the very end! I love 1408 and your breakdown and analysis of this amazing movie was spot on and perfect. I've subbed, and I will definitely be telling others about your channel.
To this day, the final scene of this version is one of the most spine-chilling moments I can remember in cinema.
I never realised there were alternate endings. The version I watch saw him die in the room and cuts to his funeral. I think I prefer this ending
This ending better fits the theme of the Inferno and the Hotel Dolphin being part of the Afterlife. The funeral ending just seems like an excuse for a jumpscare.
Wow, loved your explanation of the movie using the 7 circles of hell. Some people bash Stephen King as a one trick pony horror writer. While some of his work is outright horror, he also creates complex stories about characters that dispel that notion. The scariest part of this movie for me was when the doppelganger in the laptop smiles and winks. Bruhhhhh!! I prefer the alternate ending where Mike dies, To me it was more realistic. I love this movie, and was blown away by Cusak's performance. I'm subbing!!
I dont think he dies in that ending.It shows his Ghost is still trapped in the room. Which is so morbid to think about.
In multiple aspects, one could also compare *Silent Hill 2's* themes of acknowledgement of/penance for sin + James Sunderland's journey to Dante's travels through Hell, although the levels would likely be more difficult to define & personify.
Keith absolutely. Or even silent hill: the room on a introspective level as opposed to actual sinfulness.
The themes and stories are so fucking good
I remember watching this movie in theaters as a child with my dad and I just recall leaving really disappointed because I didn’t understand the movie but I vividly remember my dad being solemn and quiet after exiting the theatre and on the drive home too I thought he didn’t like the movie either so I just didn’t bring it up again, now years later and with help from this video I realize that my dad probably saw something in this movie that resembled his own life and conflicts, he passed away years ago so I can’t talk to him about it and I feel bad that I won’t ever know the kind of burdens he carried and what he was afraid of
Some day you'll meet with him again. Christ made that possible. Hope you are having a wonderful life
I'd say probably when Michael's daughter dies in his arms, forcing him to process her death twice. A man should never bury his kid even once.
I forgot how much I love that movie thanks for bringing back the memories
I love your video essay, man. It makes me wanna watch 1408 all over again! I love how you paralleled Dante’s Inferno with the actual movie.
Wow, this was really deep. It never even occurred to me that Mike died at the beginning of the film, but hearing you explain it makes perfect sense. Great video!
Only movie I've seen by myself at the Theater, there was maybe 20-25 other people there so there were alot of open seats, I took the back row which was completely empty. The movie was amazing, it pulled me in with that beginning and him meeting Samuel Jackson and his description and feeling of the room, the scribbled writing "My Brother was Eaten Alive by Wolves on the Connecticut Turnpike" freaked me out for some reason and has always stuck with me, what was the story behind this, why did it strike such a creepy unsettling cord with me, being its a 2-3 second scene that goes by real quick..
So the movie was disturbing and scary as all hell, being in that pitch black theater all by myself didn't help, a few times the movie caught me off guard and I turned to look at someone else's reaction, quickly remembering I was by myself, so I had to sit there with goose bumps running down my spine, no one made a sound the entire time..
towards the end it seems like the movie has wrapped up, and it looks like it was a " Near Death Experience " to make him want to live again after losing his kid.
I was like, oh wow this is crazy, I'm cool with this trippy ending, he wrote a book, was patching things up with his wife etc, I was like, oh I bet they'll be a cliff hanger right at the end!
At that point the movie took the hardest left turn I had ever seen, thrusting us the audience back into that hellish room, with the alarming going off..
I almost felt like I was losing my mind at that point, I was so positive the movie was wrapping up, now i'm being thrust into the most intense, and horrific moments of the final act of the movie, with another 20-25 minutes still left..
leaving the theater I almost felt drained by the experience..
love that movie.
Exactly what i felt when i watched it, it kept pulling me back i felt i was personally in the room
Its strange you noticed that quote on the documents. It was the same for me. That phrase has stuck with me for years. I cannot explain why I feel such a weird connection to it. I've even looked into the phrase and I havnt found anything on it yet.
@@fienyx7333 same here! That quote always stuck with me and I never understood why. Maybe because I love my brother and the thought of that breaks my heart ):
1408 is one of my favorite Horror movies. I watched it so many times.
i just saw it for the 5th time with my mum (her first time). Even she liked it and she's sooo nagging and picky. I'll watch it many more times.
1408 is like the darkside cave in empire strikes back.
Luke: whats in there?
yoda: only what you take with you
This was really well done, I'm assuming you're a media graduate. It's great to have this level of quality analysis on UA-cam. Thanks, subscribed!
This is the first video from you that I’ve seen, and it’s all I need. Subbed
This my favorite retrospective video.
Everytime is appears on my home feed i give it a watch. 1408 is one of my favorite psychological horror film to date and you made the perfect retrospective on it in my opinion.
"John answered, saying to them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I comes, the lace of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."
The water bursting into the room mirrors the Genesis flood which gave a new start to the world but was more or less only a reset. God said the final cleansing would be with fire, so the ending of the movie was displaying that he had reached his full cleansing and true reformation.
This was the first horror movie I ever saw. I had no idea how deep it was.
man what
@@cultusfetus it was my first horror movie too, I saw it as a kid because my mom was too afraid to watch it alone. It ended up being a childhood nightmare.
I always loved that quote from the movie that wasn't in the book...
"Some smart-ass talked about the banality of evil."
That was actually King himself who commented on banal evil in his classic vampire novel, "'Salem's Lot".
C.f. the famous Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
It still messes me up that he plays that tape for his wife to hear. Its unsettling
What did that scene mean? Metaphysically as in all of what happened actually happened and the laymen could understand? or that he's still stuck in hell and everyone he knows is with him?
I thought that meant the doppelganger was the one who made it out not him. He is wearing the dark clothes afterall
Mayonnaise Moose
It was meant to be literal, at least that’s the only way I’ve ever interpreted it. She hears the voice of her dead daughter, hence showing her that not only is her husband truly changed and a “believer”, but had proof that he spoke to their daughter and held her in his arms.
How else would someone react if they heard the voice of their dead child on a voice recorder speaking to their spouse?? And the look on his face isn’t one of evil or foreboding, it’s a look of contentment. *He’s not only been purged of his sinful nature, but is at ease that he will see his daughter again someday.*
@@jacks1bonnielass That is crazy! Im definitely going to watch this film. Even though its technically spoiled, idgaf. The experience is worth it
@@jacks1bonnielass Yes, I came to that conclusion too... it's as if he says to his wife.... what I went through is real, I'm a changed man
I always liked 1408, but now will rewatch it from a whole new perspective. Great work!
Fascinating breakdown. The messages are all in the movie, but the spectacle somewhat obscures their meanings. Now I want to watch the movie again with a "new set of eyes". Thank you.
There's something distinctly Faustian about 1408 as well. Mike has driven himself from God, effectively creating his own hell within the hotel room itself. This is compounded by his desire to have the knowledge of whether God or an afterlife even exists.
"The depths horror can reach." I see what you did there.
Just a reminder, since I'm at the lust part. Lust does not have to be only for women. I'd say it's more believable that he's lusting after the thrill of finding supernatural evidence.
Brilliant. Well done.
The only criticism I can think of is the theatrical ending chosen over the director's cut for analysis. However, it must be said that you covered the theatrical ending very well and tied together what was typically seen as a cheap money-grab ending over the more profound director's cut.
Again, brilliant.
It cracks me up every time I see Cusack screaming at Samuel L Jackson and they do that comedy cut and it shows him just screaming at a fridge.
Yes it is. Cusack fighting the fridge cracks me up evertyime 😂
This has got to be the most intelligent and well thought out analysis of this film I've ever seen. I never would have thought to parallel this film with Dante's Inferno. The way you explained it made so much sense.
you mean this reaching, bias, projecting,... etc.? nah, far from it
Damn you dante, you made me think twice about doing sinful things. Hell is horrible jeez
Dante, the real reason Ned is a christian
According to Dante, merely existing is reason enough to be cast into hell. Even Christ has been ill-mannered, sullen, wrathful, humorless, and a contrarian. The Talmudic scrolls claim that Jesus is boiling in hell now for being a contrarian. I guess Dante should have thought twice about making it to where merely farting is viewed as being hell-worthy, since he seems to have forgotten that Christ himself has a hell-bound heart.
The moral of the story is that religion is stupid, and holy men are con-artists.
hell ABSOLUTELY is horrible... it's the most horrible thing we've imagined so far... it's also not real
@@AngryRamboShow >according to Dante
Sure thing champ
>According to the Talmud
The book of the synagogue of Satan? Which orchestrated to have Christ crucified? I bet they do believe some retarded shit in that book
Not Important I'm not religious, but I still believe we're all capable of creating our own metaphorical hell. -perverted and perverting, weaving itself insidiously into the very fabric of life. Find that movie quote
This is a great and well thought out video with more than just a parallel to dante's inferno describing Room 1408! It touches on what dante's inferno implies as well and redemption! I'm not Christian and make UA-cam videos on my Gods and Goddesses, but I feel these thoughts are universally understood!
This explanation of 1408 was fantastic. I watched this movie a dozen times and Dante's Inferno never crossed my mind. Such an awesome way of putting things in a different perspective for all of us. Great work!
The fireman's helmets have the number 7 on them.
Luck number for one, bad omen for others. I stay with the luck ones! ^^