For the first time in 20 years, I am regretting John Cusack’s Mike surviving Room 1408

1408 has sort of become a cult classic since it was first released. Almost 20 years after it hit theaters, the horror has been by and large forgotten by the general audience, but a small portion of horror lovers still talk fondly of the film. Maybe that’s why Hollywood thought it was a prime choice for a sequel, if the rumors are to be believed.

According to movie scooper Daniel Richtman, a sequel to the Stephen King adaptation is in the works with the original cast, including John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, set to return. But really, I have to ask: who wants to see this? While I love the original film, it’s hardly the type of movie that demands a sequel. 

This just feels like Hollywood doing what it always does: returning to familiar intellectual properties rather than taking a financial risk and going with something more original. It sort of makes me wish that John Cusack’s Mike hadn’t survived the ending of the original film.

Hollywood should think twice about bringing back 1408

The original film is perfect as it is; it’s a tense, atmospheric, and spooky film with a tight runtime of under two hours. 1408 is claustrophobic, with the majority of the story taking place inside the titular hotel room and leaving the main character with nowhere to run and no option but to wrestle with his own demons as well as the dead residents of the room.

The film stretches its premise to the limit, and it all comes together in an explosive finale that concludes Mike’s story and leaves the audience satisfied. So why would we want a sequel? There really isn’t much left for another 1408 movie to explore; the hotel room burned down, and Mike escaped. What’s he going to do, spend the entire runtime of another movie in another haunted hotel room?

The original film was somewhat notorious for its numerous alternate endings, a couple of which saw Cusack’s character perish in a hotel room. Some fans prefer the alternate ending, but personally, I’m a sucker for happy endings.

However, these sequel rumors do make me wish that Mike had died in the original cut. At least that way there would be no way for Hollywood to push this needless sequel, unless it was about Mike’s ghost haunting the charred remains of 1408.

The sequel fits a trend in Hollywood

While talks of an alleged sequel remain nothing but rumors right now, it tracks with Hollywood’s typical MO. In the past decade, we’ve seen a surge in legacy sequels, reboots, and remakes. Producers in Hollywood seem to be afraid of originality, and the supposed 1408 sequel shows that.

We’ve had Star Wars sequels, a Top Gun sequel, and the new Ghostbusters films. Then there’s the MCU. Everything seems to be geared towards setting up a recognizable franchise so that endless sequels can be pumped out. Meanwhile, original films like Digger are flailing at the box office, so maybe Hollywood is right.

Regardless, that doesn’t mean I have to like it, and I don’t. A sequel to 1408 seems like nothing more than an attempt to profit off of a successful and vaguely recognizable IP, and I have my doubts that the new film, if it really is in the works, would add anything to the original story. But I’m always happy to be proved wrong, so we’ll just have to wait and see.