Director’s Cuts are rarely less effective than their theatrical counterparts but Stephen King adaptation 1408 added a grim coda that, while spooky, didn’t make much sense. Starring a reliably great John Cusack as burnt-out paranormal debunker Mike Enslin, 1408 is a timeless story of "Man Vs Haunted Hotel Room."
More specifically, this underrated chiller adapted from the story of the same name featured in Stephen King's short story collection Everything’s Eventual is the tale of a man haunted by his past who insists on seeking out encounters with the supernatural. Despite his many travels, he finds no proof of spirits or the afterlife - until he unexpectedly finds himself trapped in the titular, demonic hotel room and must fight to escape with his life.
Directed by Derailed helmer Mikael Håfström, 1408 is essentially a one-man show and Cusack excels as the gradually unraveling Enslin who, through encounters with ghosts, impossible geometries, time loops, and nightmarish visions, is forced to accept that 1408 is, in fact, haunted. Samuel L Jackson has a small but memorable role as the manager who warns Enslin against staying but the rest of the movie is almost all Cusack, from the moment he checks in to his triumphant destruction of the room in the finale. However, the Director’s Cut saw Enslin die and ending up haunting Jackson’s character, which makes little sense in context.
In the theatrical version of 1408 Cusack’s character just about escapes the hotel with his life, using a molotov cocktail and a cleverly deployed ashtray to blow up the room. Later, when he is reunited with his estranged ex-wife, his charred tape recorder plays a recording of their dead daughter talking to him during his time in the room, thus proving some sort of supernatural goings-on were afoot. However, in the Director’s Cut Enslin isn’t so lucky; he perishes in the fire and Jackson’s character later attends his funeral. Jackson’s manager gives his condolences to Enslin’s ex-wife, goes to drive off — and bam! In a jump scare worthy of Mike Flanagan, Cusack’s badly burnt ghost stares at him from the rearview mirror.
It’s the most effective jump scare in either version of the movie and a startling closing scene. However, 1408’s Director’s Cut then transitions to a sequence wherein Enslin’s ghost walks into a white light, at peace, hand in hand with his late daughter. So, if he has accepted his death and moved on, why did he just haunt Jackson’s character a few seconds earlier? Is the burnt Enslin in the back of Jackson’s car a different spirit, and if so, why is it taking the form of the movie’s hero? There's also the question of why would he haunt Jackson’s character since the manager specifically warned Enslin against staying there. While it's an effective final jolt this ending doesn't fit the story logic of 1408 at all, making this a rare case where the studio-mandated “happy ending” works a lot better.