At the wheel, driving this piece of shit, is MIKE ENSLIN, 35, a grizzled, weary soul. He stares glassily at the road, a cigarette behind his ear, a styrofoam cup of Exxon coffee at his mouth.
A sign drifts by: "Woodfin, Rte 251 N - Asheville, Interstate 240-E, Hwy 40, Next Right, Thru Traffic Merge"
Heh?» Mike frowns.
RAIN pours down on an unpaved country intersection.
Mike stands outside his car, soaked, checking a wet map. He's
confused and annoyed. There are no road markings at all. He checks his watch.
* EXT, COUNTRY INN - NIGHT A quaint rural inn, dark of night. The ambiance is picturesque, but off-putting. Porch lanterns glow. Shadows are deep. An ancient elm tree frames the banging weathered sign: "The Camden Inn"
Then, finally -- headlights. Mike's car pulls up in the mad.
Mike trudges into the homey, worn lobby.
The gregarious INNKEEPERS jump up, excited. They're country greg if 3 folk, beaming.
ese o punertclt
You probably t our haunted history! Well, that rear staircase is where the maid reputedly
sel
s £ in 1870.
INSERT - BROCHURE
She thrusts out a brochure that says "HAUNTED!"
There's a
PHOTO of the lobby, and a faint white shape in a window.
Mike stares, unimpressed.
pot fet ey 0) a
bad ae
MRS. INNKEEPER (CONT'D)
Right up there. Right above where you and I are standing, right now...
Mike lies on the antique bed, on a quilt, drinking mini-bar BOOZE. He has an army of tiny Scotches, Gins, Vodkes. He's bored out of his mind.
LATER The boozes are empty. Somewhere, a grandfather clock CHIMES midnight. DONG, DONG, DONG! Mike groggily glances at a bedside clock. Waiting. Listening. Alert to anything... 4 Suddenly -- @ loud CRASH! Mike jerks, startled. He jumps up, concerned... then realizes it’s only THUNDER. Oh.
ing, drooling, passed out.
Hs }- w o - n Ls) 1)
hy
Mike is back in the car, driving another endless interstate.
He speaks flatly into a pocket MINI-RECORDER.
ty
the Camden Inn seven skull
Mike clicks the recorder OFF. He puts it down -~ then has a thought and turns it back ON. MIKE
Fuck ‘em. Six skulls.
}
A mall bookstore. The marquee shouts "GHOST SURVIVAL GUIDE Author M. Enslin Tonight! 7 P.M.”
i
NT. BARNES & NOBLE ~ NIGHT
ie
fike enters, disheveled. The store is sad and generic -- an ir of listlessness hanging over the shelves. Mike tiredly approaches the busy CASHIER.
i)
The Cashier finishes his order, then flicks on a small P.A. SYSTEM. He grabs a MICROPHONE and reads off a xeroxed FLYER:
MIKE
a bathroom I can clean up in,
eM Oe
The event. It’s depressing -- the sad reality of booksignings. The back of the store has 30 or 40 folding chairs, but there's only FIVE SPECTATORS. Mike sits alongside a pile of his paperbacks, discoursing. MIRE Sure, these places have colorful histories. That's the hook: The
wedding night murder. The caretaker who leaped to his death. The runaway horse that trampled the old lady.
The war widow who went crazy and threw the baby down the well...
The people go wide-eyed. Mike lets this hang... then deflates it.
The crowd doesn't get it. One EMPHATIC MAN raises his hand
» EMPHATIC MAN Have you ever seen a poltergeist?
See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. You didn't hear one word I just said. I can type myself sick debunking these places, shooting arrows in the legends, and it only makes people want to stay there more.
this summer. Would you say there's a higher concentration of ghosts in New England or in the South?
Listening. You'll probably want to pick-up my "Ten Haunted Antebellum Mansions."
LATER the same autograph over and "Stay Scared! Mike Enslin’
ora
Mike is signing paperbacks, rote, over: "Stay Scared! Mike Enslin"
Then -- a HARDBACK enters frame. He looks up, surprised.
A NERVOUS WOMAN holds the book. It’s a dusty, faded copy of Mike's early novel, "The Road Back Nowhere.” The artwork is heartfelt: A watercolor of a boy holding a surfboard.
(awkward)
How much did it... go for?
er lip, preferring not to say.
wr
The woman bites
2 ra OF 3 ke's face falls.
Phe sun is peeking over the horizon. The pink sky is lovely, breaking over a rocky inlet.
Mike drives into a beach parking lot. He glances over ~-- potting a cluster of parked cars. Across the sand, a GROUP
Ss of dedicated SURFERS in wetsuits ride the early morning waves. Mike stares -- then keeps driving. A surfboard sticks out of his car. He goes to the far end of the parking lot, off by himself, then pulls over.
Mike rides a wave. It's exquisite. For him, this experience isn't about adrenaline, but tranquility. The weariness that usually hangs over him is gone. He’s alone and perfectly serene. Happy.
Mike enjoys the spray in his face. Until -- he hears a strange BUZZING. He looks around, then UP.
UNDERNEATH
ike gets pulled down.
ié screams out, but only bubbles emerge.
iv
1@ water BATTERS him. Everything swirls. He spins, losing track of which way is up.
che
to reach for sky...
Mike struggles, desperate... rkness...
oo tryin getting sucked deeper toward the d
When -~
suddenly app from above. Like a godsend. Startled, Mike grabs for it -- when -- it unexpectedly pitches ang HAMMERS him in the head.
ECU —- MIKE'S FACE
Mike lies mutely on his back, on the sand. Hyperventilating.
But alive.
An overlit; bleached-white fluorescent hellhole. An anonymous
F
storefront of mailboxes, packing supplies, and key-cutting.
Mike enters and goes over to his mailbox. He unlocks it, removi ng a STARTLING AMOUNT of MAIL.
The friendly MAILBOX GUY nods.
xj
Mike sits in a corner booth, alone. His breakfast sits abandoned, runny egg yolks congealed. He sips his eighth cup of coffee.
The table is spread with months of opened mail. Dozens of BROCHURES for HOTELS, INNS, B& B's. Mike flips through them. Some have macabre marketing -~ “Spirits! Strange?" A few have even Photoshopped transparent phantoms into their antique- laden lobbies Mike glances at Post-it: “Dear Mr. Enslin, please c onsider our Motel for your next Ghost Guide.”
He stares -~- then tosses it. He rummages through more mail: A bill from 2 nursing home. Skeptical Enquirer magazine. The Weekly World News. He slashes an envelope with his fancy LETTER OPENER. In iside is a childish greetin 1g card -- a cartoon tiger says “You're Terrrrrrr-ific! Happy Birthday!"
Mike frowns, then throws it in the trash pile. He reaches for a POSTCARD. INSERT ~- POSTCARD
The back Has but three scribbled words: "DON'T ENTER 1408°
Ss
ON MIKE
be
Hm. He gazes, then flips over the card. It's a generic
iveaway HOTEL POSTCARD. A montage of photos: Elegant 1920s exterior. Classy rooms. An overstuffed lounge filled with smiling, attractive rich people. A scrolling font says: “When in New York City, visit the Dolphin Hotel!"
Mike fixates on the word "New York." His face darkens, and he tosses the card in the junk pile.
He starts to move on -~ when something catches his eye. He peers back at the card...
TIGHT - POSTCARD
Agal in, "DON'T ENTER 1408." We PUSH IN on the numbers, until they fill the screen. 1408... 1408...
Mike thinks. He clicks a pen then scribbles the digits as a Math column: 1+ 4+ 0 + =.seeee0- 13.
A smile flickers across his face.
Mike is amused. He considers the card, then suddenly OPENS HIS LAPTOP COMPUTER.
ANGLE - COMPUTER
Mike spins the mouse, clicking "Internet." He waits patiently, while the green WI-FI icon scrolls. Searching... searching... until ~- "NO SIGNAL AVATLARLE"
Mike groans.
Goddamn corne WIDE Irked, Mike grabs the computer. He JUMPS from hi
starts mean dering around the coffee shop, eyeballing computer screen like a hungry hawk.
pea oS
He marches toward the door -- eyes glued to the screen. The £ 7
DINERS shoot him looks, but he is indifferent to other people. He lifts the laptop over his head, trying different positions.
Mike exits the building. Suddenly, he finds a signal.
Ah-HA! The Internet opens. The WEB PAGE speaks:
He quickly sits on a cinderblock wall and starts EXPERTLY TYPING.
INSERT -— COMPUTER
Mike goes to "GOOGLE. He types in “DOLPHIN HOTEL NEW YORK” Beat. A page of text appears. Mike clicks on a link to the Dolphin. A millisecond pause ~- then the DOLPHIN HOTEL's
stylish HOMEPAGE APPEARS. It is exactly what one would expect: Chandeliers. Clinking champagne flutes Links to
Nee ee
"SPA" "DINING" "BANQUET FACILITIES" “RE RESERVATIONS". .
Mike knows this is a dead end. He clicks back to "GOOGLE," then tries "DOLPHIN HOTEL GHOSTS"
The computer responds, "NO RESULTS”
Mike backspaces and tries again: “DOLPHIN HOTEL SUPERNATURAL" The computer responds, “NO RESULTS“
Mike backspaces and tries yet again: "DOLPHIN HOTEL HAUNTING" The computer responds, "NO RESULTS”
Mike stares. Unbowed, his face darkens. He tries a different approach: "DOLPHIN HOTEL DEATH"
THE COMPUTER
pauses -- then the SCREEN FILLS WITH ENTRIES.
MIKE
ee Joon
Cur TO:
Mike sits in a musty library basement, scrolling through MICROFICHE rolis. On the amber screen is an ancient New Yor Herald-Tribune: The headline screams “FACTORY OWNER LEAPS FROM HOTEL." There is a portrait of a stuffy-looking rich man, then underneath a gory WEEGEE-LIKE PHOTO of a bloody mess on a New York sidewalk, the cops dourly cleaning up.
For the first time, Mike seems affected. Truly bothered.
Shaken, he scribbles notes on a LEGAL PAR. Under the word "DOLPHIN," we see the pad is filled with items...
AR spooky pause... when suddenly -- RING!! It's his CELLPHONE.
Mike jumps, startled. Embarrassed by the noise, he quickly answers it.
But, nothing. Mike frowns.
No response. Just -- a faint crackling STATIC. Mike struggles to hear ~- when CLICK. The line goes dead.
Weird. Mike looks back at his list of deaths...
cU on @ jumble of cld NEWSPAPER ARTICLES. A blizzard of words and headlines: "SUICIDE"... "DROWNING"... "ELECTROCUTION”... "HEART ATTACK." We slowly PULL OUT, revealing dozens of Dolphin articles, tacked on a corkboard. -A blur of photos, nasty death images and old-fashioned formal portraits. The victims look like solid early 20th-century citizens: A walrus-
of
moustached man in a bowler. A prim woman in round spectacles.
We CONTINUE PULLING OUT, finding Mike on a ratty couch. Surrounded by these horrors. He holds the Dolphin POSTCARD, staring. Agitated. Suddenly he downs a shot of bourbon, then dials the phone number. He waits. RING. RING --
Another pause.
OPERATOR {V.0.) Er, one moment, please.
Mike gets put on HOLD. Sprightly MUSIC kicks in, RECORDED ANNOUNCEMENT.
Mike raises an eyebrow.
and a
guenk Lad
‘LICK. The man HANGS UP.
Q
Mike is stupefied. CUT Tod:
A busy New York agency with million-dollar views. SAM FARRELL, &@ gregarious old-school gentleman agent, yells out.
It's Mike Enslin, calling from Florida again.
his own funk.
Sam PUNCHES his speakerphone. Mikelii Sam -~
Read the first five chapters last night. Spooky shit. .Couidn'’t sleep a wink. It's gonna make a bundie --
MIKE (V.O.)
So, about the Dolphin --
Miz
SAM
Yes, the Dolphin! That stick-up-its- ass relic on 61st. Too posh for a free plug! Well, you're gonna LOVE what Clay cooked up: He dug around and found you a Federal Civil Rights law! Ain't that a hoot?
(he chuckles) Like somebody would discriminate against you: A well-to-do white mani
(amused)
But the law's the law: If the room's not occupied, they have to give it to you.
CLAY
Sc we'll book i
Lt, and if we'll rattle our
A pause. Sam turns quiet
coms
awe
pnd si
But Mike... on a more personal note: Are you really sure you want to come here
S-sure. It'll make a solid closing chapter for the --
But seriously... buddy. It's New York. All that happened...
(pause) Do you really want to put yourself through that...?
ms
Then -- a loud SHRIEEEEEK!
co ro} | ty Oo
An ATRPLANE descends into New York.
Mike looks out the window. The grid of New York is below, neatly geometric. Until -- the plane suddenly banks, swooping in. The whole view spins.
Mike recoils, nauseated.
fue ey
ackness. Then -- a TAXI 2 ooking into the Holland Tunne
pa hd
e 43 @ CFI - i) ct oa ct ox ® fro fs re uo rt @ <j iD ey ay @
A carved crucifix swings from the mirror.
Mike rides in back. Face wan. New York's a jumble. He peers
about -- everything seems discordant. Canal Street is a collection of unsettling images:
Smoke curls from a grate. It clears, revealing a MAN lying motionless on the sidewalk.
Sparks are inside an open factory door
KR snarling DOG barks behind bars.
Seafood decomposes in a fish market. The CABBIE HONKS furiously at the congestion.
(woozy) N-no. Please. Don’t go that way... Canal's fine...
The Cabbie hooks left.
Mike blanches in back. The cab drives uptown, and the sense of DREAD grows. Crumbling buildings block out the sun. Mike grimaces, anxious. Knowing something is approaching...
OUT THE WINDOW
An old brick school comes into view. On the PLAYGROUND, CHILDREN RUN AROUND.
Mike shudders. Distraught, he averts his eyes.
ee from the Jazz Age. A STATUE OF A SMILING 2 portal t ers a happy greeting.
p> nod
je gets out, carrying a duffel.
reget pe ao oe p in
oy yy ey Hy iN fea < ® m &
Swanky and archaic, but beautifully maintained. The last time it was hip, Dorothy Parker got drunk in the coatroom.
The DOORMAN opens the door for Mike. Mike's sweating, h lances ar :
or is usual insouciance rattled. He gl ound the small lobby: the mezzanine, a PIANIST plays Gershwin. Chic GUESTS 1 evening wear cavort. A RICH D COUPLE walks a poodle. A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN in e gown casualiy breastfieeds a baby.
Mike goes up to Reception. The DESK CLERK smiles formally. DESK CLERK Welcome to the Dolphin, sir. Are you checking in?
Hmphh? The Desk Clerk suddenly tightens up, awkward.
She hurries off. Mike raises an eyebrow.
We follow the Clerk as she scurries down the counter She reaches a rigid ASSISTANT MANAGER and whispers. He list ens, giving Mike a discreet glance. The Assistant Manager whispers something back, then rushes out a rear door.
Beat. Mike waits. Biding his time...
Pause ~~ then the rear door opens, and out glides the Manager,
MR. OLIN. Olin, 60, is a precise man of European air, his
faltores suit, carefully- parted hair and manicured nails only ade bearable by his clipped dry wit.
TIGHT - OLIN
He nods professionally and extends his hand.
Mr. Enslin, Tim Gerald Olin, the manager of the Dolphin. If there's an ny way I can be of assistance while
~ dinner reservations,
at all -- please ighted to be at your
¥ ct i
Knoa th Service.
You wouldn't pr
Serer
executive suite wit
breakfast?
(hostile)
1408, please.
MIKE
. OLIN So insistent.
an upgrade?
h
(his voice lowers) Mr. Enslin, couid you humor me with
more... priva
An impeccable Edwardian study.
“Te
iw
ee
+a
AT
conversation?
An
complimentary
Oak paneling.
antigue desk with a lozenge-shaped green lamp.
Olin opens a humidor.
Olin's eyes shift to the cigarette behind Mike’s ear.
a
sees this.
OLIN
MIKE
I don’t smoke.
MIKE
I quit years ago.
\
(he starts to explain)
The cigarette behind the ear is... Part affectation, A writer thing.
dunno.
Habit.
part superstition.
oa
Fine books.
a appreciate che bribe, but to stay in that room.
hour.
Mike takes this in, then cracks up, PARODYING Olin
silly Transylvania accent.
we both know you'll give
I'll write my story, and Of,
eventually, tne the key, your bookings will go up 5
Olin is repelled. Mike
MIKE
Do you mind if I conversation?
(he waits; beat)
T'li take that
record our
Good. as a yes.
smirks and pulls out his
with a
fay rt he hy
m7.
eo
"RECORD." The LED glows red, like an eye, and the
Mike hits f ne 1 little wheels start spinning... Olin glares, his politeness fading.
OLIN
Sir, you completely misunderstand the
situation. The Dolphin may not have the cachet of the Plaza or the Carlyle... but we run 90% occupancy.
(emphatic)
This isn’t about my concern for the hotel, OR about my concern for you. Frankly -- selfishly -- I don't want you to enter 1408, because I don’t “want to have to clean up the mess.
Olin lets this chilling thought hang. Mike's eyes widen.
(heavy) But my training is as a manager, not & a coroner! Under my watch there have been four deaths. Four! After the
last one, I said enough. I forbade any guests from ever entering again.
foe
bh jm
OLIN (CONT
Dd) Well in your investigati on, did you discover the twenty ~two natural Geaths?
Mike leans forward, interest piqued.
Mike is momentarily speechless.
Olin pulis cut a small key and opens his desk bottom drawer. He removes a BULGING FILE and brings it around to Mike. Olin
stares a moment -- then sits next to hin.
MIKE
"Drownings"?
Hh
ile,
Mike eyeballs the
ot
r, then gets up for the Cognac. He takes X, Wipes it clean, carefully pours...
Olin smiles a flicke out a crystal snifte
me
Mike notices a around... to ch
silver DESK FRAME. He furtively cranes e S And -~ it’s a calendar.
jaee ct
Mike gratefully snorts it,
Olin S
enjoying the flavor, the spreading warmth. Then, he looks up. MIKE OLIN
Dammit to HELL! Olin BLOWS UP and angrily THROWS the file at Mike.
Mike is stunned at this outburst. Hesitant, he opens the TO FOLDER. Inside is a pile of wrinkled yellow newsprint. Olin
testily narrates from memory.
J ho
The first victim! Kevin O'Malley. A sewing machine salesman who checked into the hotel opening week, October 1912!
he bled to death.
Mike makes a face.
KE ; expect the truth --
mot
M Hey, my reader
OLIN
No, your readers don't expect much of anything -- except grotesquerie and cheap thrills:
(snide, from memory) "The headless ghost of Eugene Rilsby, forever walking his deserted farmhouse. The Barking Phantom of Mount Hope Cemetery --"
OLIN
I've done my own research! Your books are easy to find -- in the cheap paperback section.
(beat) And they are completely cynical. The work of a talented, intelligent man who doesn't believe in anything but himself.
& Mike reacts, pissed. MIKE
Where the fuck do you get off --~! (hurt) This meeting's over ~-
‘
"The Road Back Nowhere.”
i?)
bo sh» w
The father seemed like a real s.o.b. -~
ju ~ wm @
a iD ct ry ® mn sky ip by } wr ct tn wa | -)
ag ra fy ib K ®
) by fon ree ry ny Lod
1G ti Gg "3
Give me my key Do you know why I can walk into’ any spooky old room? Because I know that ghoulies and ghosties don't exist.
(dark) And that's good, because I also know there's no God to protect us from them, if they did.
Behind Reception, a wall of old-fashioned mail siots. Olin carries over a little stool. He steps up to 1408's mailbox, reaching his hand far... far back into the shadowy recess.
He fiddles around, then pulls out a TARNISHED KEY on a long brass paddle Embossed are the numbers 1408.
Mike reacts, surprised.
You don't happen to have a pacemaker, do you, Mr. @nslin?
Mike's eyebrows raise. DING! The elevator arrives. The shimmery doors open.
Olin gestures: After you. Mike enters. Olin starts to follow ~~ when a MAITRE'D in a tux comes running over. He interrupts Olin and quickly MUTTERS something in French. Olin nods and MUTTERS back. He scribbles his signature on a form. The Maitre'd bows and runs off.
Olin enters. It's an old-fashioned cage. Olin the doors rattie closed. They stand in silence.
Rows of BUTTONS
Mike ignores this. He stares at the panel: with 10 1112... 14 15 16
ane ith the customary lie: 123456789
ink they can just 3 disappear?
ft a ra
Olin chuckles. They lurch upward, lights ticking: 5...6...7...
(MORE)
Sean
OLIN (CONT'D
{beat} But I supervise, and they work in E pairs. We treat the room as a chamber filled with poison gas. We stay only ten minutes, and I insist the door be kept open.
Even then... last year, a young maid from El Salvador found herself Locked in the bathroom. dust for a moment. When we pulled her out, she was -~-
Olin stares. OLIN
No. Blind. She had taken a pair of scissors and carved out her eyes.
DING: The elevator hits 14. The doors open.
Mike peers out 's a perfectly uneventful corridor -~ red-~ P and-golid carpet, drab end tables, old-tyme Light fixtures. OLIN Your floor. Mike waits for Clin to take a step -- but the man is immobile. OLIN I'm afraid this is as far as I ge. The room is at the end of the hall to the right Mike nods, a tad apprehensive He exits -- on legs that seem heavier. “Mike takes a few steps, then turns.
AT THE END
Olin stands framed in th at suit. Hands clasped, face withdrawn, he
AJ
gs) oe]
is now alone. He hoists his duffel, then walks slowly down the hushed hallway. Past 1401... 1402...
Mike examines Olin's file.
INSERT -— FILE
A grisly PHOTOGRAPH marked “KEVIN O'MALLEY." He lies dead in the bathtub. His eyes are wide, his throat gashed open, a sewing needle protruding from raw flesh.
{TKE
grimaces. He walks past 1404... past a moldering room service tray. On the plate are remains of a beef burger soaked in red
ketchup. A fly buzzes...
‘3
INSERT - FILE
Back to the photos. Mike flips to a nasty half-covered BODY in bed. The sheets are soaked.
IN THE HALL
Mike is getting rattled. He makes a turn. 1406 goes by... 1407... wood-paneled doors and elegant wallpaper...
Mike finds a scratched NOTE on hotel stationery.
x
vantic writing: “My brother was eaten by wolves on the Connecticut Turnpike”
Mike stops, considering this oddity.
m front of 1401.
ps.
He looks up -- and realizes he's
uh?
Hae
Mike looks around, confused. Somehow, he's back at the elevator.
ad Then, he packs up the file i
Loe) Lee)
WIDE
Mike watches the numbers go by. Get to that room! 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. He swings around a corner. And there, unassuming and anonymous, is 1468.
Mike pulis out his brass KEY. He starts to insert it ~~- when,
SaeP Fath be
he’s startled by WHIMPERING. AT THE NEXT ROOM
is a YOUNG MOTHER turned away from us. She hold Ss BABY. She fumbles with her mag card, then disappears
BACK ON MIKE AT THE DOOR
Okay. He takes a breath, then inserts the key in the Jock.
MICRO-CLOSHUP ~ INSIDE THE LOCK
The vintage mechanism looks like a GIGANTIC DARK CHAMBER,
led with crazy angles of cold steel.
oo
rh
+ H Aik
The key enters like a medieval battering ram. It slowly turns. The tumblers RUMBLE with echoing CLINKS and CRICKS. The sound rises ominously LOUD...
ACK TO MIKE —~ NORMAL PERSPECTIVE
vs)
And, the sound becomes a teeny CLICK. The door unlocks. Inside the next room, the Young Mother's VOICE leaks out: YOUNG MOTHER (0.S.} (singing softly)
"Mama loves her baby, baby, baby...*
The knot in Mike's stomach grows.
He grips the doorknob. He lifts up his recorder. MIKE m
-m., and I'm about to 408 of the Dolphin Hotel. If something happens to me; —
Michael Enslin, being of Sonne mind, do hereby leave all my earthl belongings and whatnot to my bx-wife Lily."
Then, he slowly turns the knob --
It's -~ just a hotel room.
A two-room suite, pleasant and banal. Pastel sitting area, beige carpet, forgettable furniture.
Mike sees this -~ and gasps, relieved. He starts LAUGHING.
MIKE
ta)
That's it (he LAUGHS harder) That's friggin’ IT?!
Ast tonished, he enters and throws his stuff down. He defiantly LAMS the door shut and SHOUTS.
Mike gives himself a tour.
There's a couch. A coffee table. A desk with various items: A fax machine A glass ashtray. An old-fashioned rotary telephone. A book of matches, with a Norman Rockwellish sketch of a smiling Doorman at the hotel.
On the wall are three framed paintings. In the carpet below is a water stain.
The wall THERMOSTAT says 80. Mike clicks the “down” arrow.
icks on the bathroom lights. It's bright and sparkling asing glow of luxury.
The toilet paper roll is folded in a fancy little triangle. Mike tears off a sheet and wipes his nose.
Mike opens an armoire and sodas, booze and chips. |
an evil fucking room. Cur TO:
Mike lies on the made bed, eating Corn-Nuts and swigging Olin's Cognac. He narrates into his recorder, from memory:
TIGHT -— THE PAINTING We FOCUS ON the painting, as Mike describes it from memory.
We MOVE TO the SECOND PAINTING -- an old lady in a rocking chair.
MIKE (0.S8.)
"The second painting is an old woman, a la Whistler's mother, smiling down as small children play at her feet."
We MOVE TO the THIRD PAINTING -- a British hunting scene.
MIKE (0.S.)
"The third and final, painfuliy-dull painting is the ever popular "The Hunt” ~- horses, hounds, and constipated British lords.
“These paintings have been here a long time. If I lifted them, I'm sure I'd see light patches.
-
dad eo
MIKE
"The bedroom has a queen-size bed, two nightstands, and butterfly wallpaper.
(peat) “Some smartass spoke of the banality ef evil. If that's so, then we've entered the seventh ring of Hell.”
Mike gets up and wal OUTSIDE, another building completely fills the view. B are cars and a huge lit~up BANK CLOCK. Mike opens the paned window. TRAFFIC NOISE rises in. MIKE "The panorama is a typical cramped
New York view of nothing: A gray uilding, and honking traffic below."
The clock outside clicks from 7:59 to 8:00 PM,
Mike Jumps, startled. BEHIND HIM The clock RADIO has gone off. The CARPENTERS sing: THE CARPENTERS (0.S.) (singing) “We've only just begun..."
Mike laughs. He turns it OFF, flicking the alarm switch.
MIKE
Mike turns -- then suddenly freezes.
THE BED
is turned down. The shee mint chocolates on the pi
£0 3, ‘ni Paes
by
gapes, stupefied.
tad Le
He strolls over and picks up a mint. He peers...
uf
Mike opens the candy, then EATS it. He thinks, his wheel spinning. Until -~ he suddenly stops, mid-chew.
Mike whiris. WIDE
Emboldened, Mike RUNS to the CLOSET. He slams open the door -- and ~- it's empty.
Hm. Mike looks around. Ah! Suddenly he drops to his knees and peers under the BED. But... there's nothing.
Hm! Mike thinks. He bolts into the bathroom. He grabs the shower curtain, takes a breath, then YANKS it aside.
And -~ nobody. Huh?! Mike wracks his mind. Tantalized.
Detective-like, he starts RAPPING on the drywall. RAP! RAP RAP!
e RAPS his way toward the door... when... something catches e.
TIGHT ~ TOILET PAPER
The toilet paper roll has returned to its original state. Once again, it has a folded triangle.
ANGLE -~ MIKE
Oo td om 2) mR ome
He gawks at it. Then, he pulls out his recorder. MIKE
“Okay, let's Encyclopedia Brown this fucker. I was facing the window. Then I saw the mints, ran to the closet, which would leave time for Houdini to get in the bathroom, do the paper trick --~
(he stops) "No, I would've seen him --
(beat) "No. ‘Uniess he started in the bathroom, so when I turned my back, he did the mints and escaped into... the living room!"
Mike barrels inte the
He lopes around -~ searching... searching. Until, he spots -- the AIR VENT up in the ceiling.
Ahi Mike runs up -- and thinks he sees movement inside. Or, does he?
He stands on his tiptoes and SHOUTS up into it.
Mike wipes his brow. He realizes he's sweating. Mike runs to the THERMOSTAT and checks it. It's now 84.
MIKE
Oh, for God's sake.
Mike pushes the “down" arrow again. Nothing. He BANGS it. Irked, he grabs the clunky telephone, peers at the archaic
BK iv
dial, then sticks his finger in the hole and dials "0.
It spins. Click-click-click-click-click. Then --
fad ay
Why would I do that, when t a such wonderful maid service? (heat) And so discreet! (beat) No, I just need someone to fix my thermostat. This room's on fire. OPERATOR (V.0.) Of course, sir. We'll send an engineer right up. MIKE Thanks. (
Mike hangs up.
Beat. Through the wall, the baby CRIES. Waaah! Waaah...!
Mike considers it all. He sits on the sofa, then starts his recorder.
Mike thinks. He unzips his duffel, slides over his LAPTOP, and carefully removes a small EQUIPMENT CASE. Inside is assorted gear: An EMF meter, microphones, a UV black light. ACROSS THE ROOM
Mike dims the room. Then, he turns on the UV light. It HUMS, emitting a weird blue glow. He holds the tube over the carpet stain, and it GLOWS, vivid and brackish.
Hm. Mike waves the UV light around the room. Things are revealed, the past becoming otherworldly and phosphorescent:
che couch.
i pm ct } u Ch Oo if 9) a iii] ian o bt oO et Gy tr ne iff) © Hey ct
Us us g
is repelled. Ugh. He feels sick.
Unable te bear any more, he FLICKS ON the lights.
No rmalcy is res tored. Mike rub
living reom. He glances at THE THREE PAINTINGS
Which are... askew. Just slightly... tilted.
an
s crooked horizon is unpleasantly vivid...
A strange, sealike sensation. He staggers, a bit nauseous. A SOUND of pounding waves. The painted water seems real... Mike is losing his equilibrium.
God, I feel like I smoked some cheap
dope. He straightens the three paintings, then turns away. Mike takes a step ~~ then -- suddenly gets a look.
He spins!
The paintings are still straight.
Hm. Mike queasily sits, putting his head between his legs. Overheated, he fumbles for his recorder. MIKE What did Olin say?
(dizzy) Something about poison gas...?
A woozy, unclear contemplation.... when -- BZZZZ!
Mike jerks. BZ2Z2ZZ! It's the door. He pops from his trance.
Engineering ¥o your heat?
(ad Cy ®
Mike scurries to the door. He peers through the EYEHOLE.
Mike struggles with the handle. MIKE The door's stuck! Can you give it a shove? RUFF VOICE (beat)
I ain't touching
Mike reacts, irritated. He tugs harder, wrenching with all his might -- when, it suddenly releases and SLAMS open BAM!
Mike tumbles, off-balance. THE DOOR
opens wide. Revealed is the ENGINEER, a huge, heavyset man. He carries a steel toolbox.
Mike strides over to the thermostat. He starts to gesture to the panel -- when he realizes -- he's... alone.
Confused, Mike turns.
The guy is still standing in the doorway.
Mike gestures again, for emphasis
MIKE
i said... the box is here. ENGINEER
I know where th ¢ fuck it is.
in't going in that room.
ty {2 a ie
What! Mike glowers, put~out.
i) oad
(TRE You just have to walk seven or eight feet ~--
ENGINEER
TI said I'm not goin' in what happened in there?
“3 te Q ia o %,
Look, I'll talk you through it. Any jackass can fix that thing.
(beat) Just remove the panel.
-
The Engineer waits, feet planted.
Mike ‘stares in disbelief. Then, beaten, he pulls off the thermostat PANEL. Inside are springs and levers.
Good. Now above that coil is a
little tube filled with mercury.
That's supposed to activate the
contact switch, but this hotel's so
old, half the shit don’t work. (beat)
Just give the tube a little tap.
Mike glares, unsure.
Just tap the ing!
Mike relents. He FLICKS the tube. The mercury suddenly emits blue SPARK, then rolls downward.
The system CHURNS, then the air-conditioning BLOWS on. Mike smiles, relieved. MIKE You're a geni us bet me get you a tip --
- 4 4 + oe 4 5 = 2 4 i Paul aw fixe turms to thank the man ~- and he's GONE.
Huh? Bewildered, Mike runs to the door. He peers out.
frowns. Odd...
ie Ou bjt oat) Q Go
obulated beat, then he pulls his head back in. Haltingly, he shuts the dao
a
Mike's alone. He paces about, convincing himself he's okay...
When ~~ sudden jarring MUSIC.
a“
Mike whirls! The CLOCK RADIO has turned back on.
THE CARPENTERS (0.S.)
"TQ LiVeG.o«
AT THE RADIC
fike marches over. He once again CLICKS OFF the radio.
Ps
e digital clock flickers, then switches to "60:00." uddenly, it starts counting backward: “59:59... 59:58..."
Mike leans closer, mesmerized. "59:55... 59:54..."
-
In his mind, he remembers Olin‘s warning from before...
oped has ever lasted longer than 1 hour...” Hm. Mike glances worriedly at the clock ticking down. Silence. He realizes something odd. The SILENCE is ABSOLUTE. The traffic noise is gone.
o
Mike walks to the window. He sticks his head out.
fend
exed,
Perp
b
AO
tad
OUTSIDE
It looks exactly as before. The New York street is filled with a erush of traffic, buses, people. Except, disconcertingly, there is litera ily no sound.
Mike can’t hear anything. It's as if we're watching a TV sh with the volume turned off.
A fire engine races by, lights flashing. Dead silent.
iy
ik
is confounded. The lack of noise is highly disturbing. He stares, then pulls his head in...
When CRASH! The WINDOW VIOLENTLY SLAMS DOWN on MIKE'S HAND!
MIKE
bef
AAAGGHHAHE! Mike SCREAMS, agonized. An animal caught in a trap.
g to use his good hand to crack the
Mike struggles, fi: n he tears his broken hand out.
i window open. Final
he wry
He turns on the sink. Water streams out, es he puts his wounded hand under the flow. But then -- the faucet SPUTTERS and dies. Mike angrily turns the handles. Nothing. Livid, he punches the sink. /
MIRE
The radio goes off.
Incensed, Mike lunges in, grabs the electrical cord, and PULLS it from the wall!
And -- nothing changes. The song keeps playing. The timer
keeps clicking down: "56:24... 56 Mike gasps in disbelief. Flummoxed, he staggers back to
He grabs a towel and wraps it around his bleeding hand.
BR gust of wind blows in, ruffling the curtains. We follow the breeze across the room... to the BIBLE on the nightstand.
The wind flutters the pages. They flip by... then stop. CLOSEUP -— BIBLE
The page is covered with SCRAWLED, MANIC WORDS:
“DON'T LET ME DIE HERE”
WIDE
‘
Mike jumps. Surprised, he runs to the phone. He grabs it.
miscommunication in the kitchen. There's going to be a ten-minute delay on your sandwich.
burned me alivel!
A long pause. Then --
re welcome to oc
substitute a side dish for your french fries. We have cottage cheese, macaroni salad --
Mike gapes.
The Hotel Voice turns sour, ruffled. HOTEL VOICE
Sir, I will not tolerate you speaking né in that tone of voice -~
oO} |
Pause -~ then the line goes
~ ~ D s in. The RECORDED ANNOUNCEMENT we heard
i ZO
a ®
He watches his blood dripping out of his hand. The red droplets hitting the carpet...
Mike's hand keeps bleeding. His temper is growing. SMOOTH RECORDING "Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line--" CLICK -~ BEEEEEEEP! It's a DIALTONE.
Mike has been disconnected.
He stares in amazement.
Furious, Mike throws the phone. He grips his wounded hand and stomps into the
an m to rh OO.
up. He rushes to the door, going to open it --
fe
And... the adbolt's locked.
Huh? Uncertain, Mike fumbles in his pocket for the big ROOM KEY. He angrily jams it into the lock, thrusting it through the oversize hole.
And -~ PLIP! The key slips from Mike's fingers --~ plunging inte the decor! It disappears, gone. MIKE Wha--?! Mike fiddles with the keyhole, trying to find the key. Frustrated, he slams his EYE up against the hole.
Mil jams the metal blade into th keyhole. He wiggles it... the mechanics... C'mon...
He struggles to pick the lock. Forcing it around... when ~- LUNK! The DEADBOLT UNLOCKS!
Mike smiles victoriously. He triumphantly turns the handle -- And -~ CRACK! The DOOR HANDLE BREAKS OFF IN HIS HAND. CLOSEUP -— MIKE His face goes ashen. This is unconceivable.
The door is now unopenable from the inside.
TRAPPED.
He’
mH
Losing it, Mike whirls and careens across the room. Passing
which now reads 75 degrees. 74...
Mike runs to the pane and throws it open. He SCREAMS.
MIKE
44,
b OUTSIDE It's utterly silent, like before. Not a sound from the busy traffic. Mike screams louder. MIKE Up here! HELPIl!
This is very disturbing.
lit window across the
Mike peers around ~- then spots a 1 street. There is a SILHOUETTED MAN. Mike gasps, a ray of hope.
MIKE
Hey: Sirt!
No reaction. He SCREAMS louder. MIKE
CAN YOU SEE ME?! COVER HERE, IN THE
DOLPHIN? ? Mike waves his right arm. ACROSS THE STREET
i
The Man waves his right arm.
MIRE
THE MAN
freezes.
IKE
lowly... worriedly... shifts from side to side.
0}
THE MAN
mirror-like, shifts from side to side.
MIKE
trembles. Fearful, shaking, he leans toward the lamp. THE MAN
leans toward a lamp. Revealing... he... is... Mike.
{TKE
freezes, stunned. He is watching himself. CLOSER VIEW - THE MAN
is Mike, standing in a parallel version of the hotel room. Staring biank-~eyed at us.
A chilling beat ~- and then an INSANE MANIAC with a clawhammer comes rushing into view. He swings the hammer straight at the doppelganger's head.
ANGLE ~ MIRE He SCREAMS and spins in fear.
And ~- the Maniac isn't there. Mike is alone.
Mike's chest heaves, overcome. Panicked, whirling about. off- balance, he spins back to the view outside.
Mike is befuddled.
He stares, shaking and impotent. Then, he notices the PEOPLE below on the street. Silent, but -- real.
Desperate, Mike suddenly goes deranged. He picks up a LAMP ~-
MTK
te
os
lamp and THROWS it! It flies out the window Fa
Mike lurches out, to watch what happens-—-
The LAMP drops. Down... down...
MIKE
waits eagerly, wild-eyed.
THE LAMP
drops closer to the street... then...
Like mist, it just... disappears. The lamp is gone.
IYES
te
MIKE'S
i
bug out. MIKE Jesus, I'm losing my mind. I'm hallucinating.
Unsteady, Mike collapses. He feels helpless, like the walls are closing in...
Then -- an ethereal LITTLE GIRL'S VOICE. Wispy, faint...
We suddenly PUSH IN TO MIKE. He CLUTCHES for breath.
All color bleeds from his face. He holds his head, gasping.
he works to calm himself} inted house Ssliit fixtures.
He] a ae
wm
yin
The radio continues its ominous countdown: 46:25... 46:24. fike peers around, scoping -- then sees something. Maddened, he hobbies up to the AIRVENT.
ANGLE - VENT
There ig... something inside the vent. A tiny black TUBE? MIKE Is that a camera? A spycam? (accusatory) Hello?! Who are you, the perverted owner of the hotel? Some rich sadist, enjoying my terror? (beat) Or perhaps it's just punctilious Mr. Olin, whacking~off in his leather chair.
Mike eyes are glazed. He spots the Cognac bottle. He runs over and uncorks it, taking a sniff...
Hm. Something else catches his eye. ON THE NIGHTSTAND
re the mint wrappers. Mike gasps, remorseful.
fs
g ever take candy from a stranger.
a3
Mike's mind ratchets into overdrive, freaking. Until --
Daddy, pay atte
Mike whirls.
cod Oxy e
ANGLE - TV
The TV is ON. Onscreen is a flickering old HOME VIDEO: Mike’s
daughter GRACIE, 5, sits on the carpet playing dolls. She laughs and motions urgently.
BACK TO — MIKE
IN THE HOME VIDEO
+
A YOUNGER MIKE enters frame. Cheerful and buoyant. He sit oll.
on the floor with Gracie. She hands him 4a rotund little d
BACK TO ~- MIKE He shudders, disturbed.
Mike's former wife LILY, 30, enters. She's pretty, aloof.
~ 4 I’m Very popular around he
re!
His face falls. Sad and traumatized.
Wanting to hang onto this memory, he slowly reaches out to the screen... Wishing... in some way... he could touch it -~-
ZAPPPi! It violently SHOCKS him.
OW! Mike tumbles back. The screen blazes, then goes to STATIC. Gracie is gone
WIDE - THE ROOM
Mike is alone, hurt. Not understanding. He senses something, then turns...
ANGLE -— NIGHTSTAND
Sitting there are the two little DOLLS from the videc.
MIKE'S
eyes widen with fear.
The figures are a tiny man and woman. Here in the room.
Mike guips, then picks them up. Yes, they are real. Mike is overcome with feelings. He tenderly cradles the dolis. Staring into their painted faces...
Until -- he glimpses movement in the room. He turns.
AT THE WINDOW
uick FLASH of the rich FACTORY OWNER who killed himself Tateps to the ledge and j umps .
A PORTLY LADY in a ] S fiow wered dress. S a chair to the window. She lashes out at
From the next room over is the SOUND again. A BABY CRYING. Then, the gentile murmur of the Mother.
a3
t
Vhat
VIDE
Mike JUMPS to attention. He drops the dolls and frantically runs to the wall. He KNOCKS on it.
The baby CRIES harder. Mike realizes she can't possibly hear him.
Frenzied, he grabs a nearby CHAIR.
Mike swings the chair, then SMASHES it into the wall! Bam! BAMi!
The baby SCREAMS louder.
Mike swings harder, brutally.
CRASH! The chair splits apart.
When, it suddenly STOPS. TIGHT - MIKE opens his eyes quizzically. It's all guiet.
He sits there.
-+-1sn't there anyone? Slowly, a SHADOW crosses his face.
ABOVE
guick FLASH: A natty MAN in Jazz Age suspenders
A himself from a noose on the chandelier.
ri
Mike enters -- then shudders. The bathroom is TRANSFORMED. comforting boudoir of luxury -~ but a NURSING HOME BATHROOM.
STERILE, Sitting in a wheelchair is a decrepit OLD MAN. eyes rheumy and lost, then shouts:
Mike freezes. An endless pause.
Then £ = MIKE Dad? FATHER Where's my garden? _ (foggy) - i can’t smeil anything! Mike is shaking. MIKE
uri font
hangs
Frightened, he makes his
It's no longer the lush,
FLUORESCENT-LIT
He peers up,
oe a
I HATE this place! fenraged, confused) How'd I get here?
Mike drops to his knees and hugs him. Holding the old man tight, his face against his Father's scratchy, unshaven cheek.
Ss We slowly PULL OUT... revealing that Mike is back in the hotel bathroom. He’s on his knees, hugging the toilet.
There's no Father. Mike moans, shaken. He looks around in bewilderment. MIKE He was so real. (upset)
As real as me.
Wobbly, Mike stands. He looks in the mirror, examining his haggard face.
Then -- he peeks back at the imagined camera in the vent. Hm.
Mike takes out his MINI-RECORDER. He speaks into it:
m not real. Maybe I'm... ng 4 An incredibly
yesterday? {unsure} “God, what happened yesterday? Can't remember anything. Was I on a train? (wracking his brain) "T must've woken up and had breakfast. Somewhere. But... where was I? Where did I eat...?"
Mike is getting nervous. He glances at the wall he bashed, then does a take. THE WALL'S CRACK
as LUI
hy py
grown. The crack has spiderwebbed larger. Clear, viscous D seeps out...
Mike grimaces, afraid. He shivers and backs away. MIKE "People say you can't die in your sleep. Is that true??"
THE THERMOSTAT
now reads 60 DEGREES. 58. 535,
rubs himseif. Panic grows across his face. MIKE "They say the shock wakes you up. If your mind thinks you're about to die --"
Freaking, Mike makes his way to the WINDOW. He clicks off the recorder, then starts to climb out --
he wind BLOWS. Mike shudders and prepares to jump. He looks
cr cy ip tn oe fy tz |
A dizzying, spinning view of
This is what the room wants!
fike's eyes shift about, wary.
Behind a chair, a MAN peeks over the pillow. Mike GASPS and crawis away.
Bhi He darts over and scrutinizes it.
TIGHT -—- MAP
It indicates the building layout. Rooms, halls, exits...
Mike's eyes gleam mManically. Suddenly ~-
He looks back fearfully, then heedlessly calculates.
un U3 ®
MIKE
& “Tf I slip and fall, and this tape gets found among my splattered remains on 6let Street, let it be Known that it was an accident.
(beat)
"The room did not win. It did not possess me to leap! I was just an arrogant self~hating bastard who --"
Suddenly, he STOPS. Puzzled by these words.
A strange dislocation. Then, he pockets the recorder.
But I can do this!
& Mike gingerly climbs outside, the wind blowing his clothes.
He peeks downward, then -- stifling his fear, tentatively lowers one foot onto the ledge
His fingers claw the brick, then find a decorative cornice to grab onto.
He takes a breath... then gingerly swings out his other leg.
Both feet are out. He gulps, then glances down.
Busy traffic, thirteen stories down.
MIKE
He presses his face to the wall, then... carefully, starts to inch along the ledge.
ra re) £8) fond } wot. Qo wo Leh) a) jo
fe
hl
He doesn't dare lean back. He blindly reaches out, gripping the next section of cornice.
Okay. He slides his left foot. Then his right.
His face is sweating. He reaches... fingers slipping... then, his hand finds the next cornice.
Good. He slides again. He reaches ~- and still no window.
Mike slides his left leg over. His right leg over. Starting to jitter, he reaches again. And -- no window. AT KE (getting worried) Where is it?! He reaches further... straining... then slides again. Nothing.
Daring gravity, he leans back, to get a look -- SUPERWIDE - THE BUILDING
And, THERE ARE NO OTHER WINDOWS. THE ENTIRE BUILDING IS ONE CONTINUOUS SURFACE OF BRICK, EXCEPT FOR MIKE AND 1408.
Mike SCREAMS, horrified.
He flounders, stunned. Mike slips.
od
" we
he wa
ch
Mike falls, BANGING his face on
+
his fingers into the old brick, when -~
ray
Then, he resignedly starts shimmying back to 1408. Slowly, faster... his expression despondent...
TIGHT ~—~ MIKE'S HANDS
hell he was
“4 a} ct o ct i]
11 him along. Strug scaping.
strength, he LIFTS HIMSELF UP onto the ledge. A shaky beat ~- then, he looks back inside.
alive, the black lines slithering around like worms. The map rearranges itself, doors and walls moving about.
Suddenly -~ the Portly Lady steps out into the window. She is sobbing.
She starts to jump ~- when she suddenly sees Mike. A bizarre discombobulation, then she lashes out at him, punching at him
Like the movements we saw earlier.
Freaked out, she leaps.
hg © ext | tt aad g
SAME TIME
ae
Mike lands on the huddied in
cov fered
ck and forth... then lick-~clack click~clack
bi 03 y Lt?
Completely sol
moans, unnerved. He peers in disbelief,
on the brick. Like it's been there forever.
fs
Te's ol
Despairing, Mike tears into the
“— The WALL
And the BEDROOM WINDOW IS GONE
No trace there ever was a window.
Mike starts hyperventilating. MIKE
No -- that's impossible
- Search
feeling the wall
vr t It can't...
losing it. On the edge of sanit nirecorder and hits REWIND
y>
in SWeat,;
any
voice speed by, chipmunk-like.
terrified.
then runs and pounds
IS SOLID DRYWALL.
thing...
grapples for
He h
"The bedroom has a queen-size bed, two nightstands, and butterfly wallpaper.
(beat)
"The room has noe window. '
no & %
en
we O oi fot oe] bet
e Q SY DB ty ¢
NOs.- Shaking, he hits rewind. Play.
Mike CRIES out, scared. He hits rewind. Play.
Mike DROPS the recorder, like he's been electrocuted.
He trembles, pained. q The unplugged clock continues ticking down: 32:14...
huts his eyes. Until --~ a TORMENTED SOBBING.
room. It sounds like two peopl :
aR What now? He opens his eyes. The SOBBING is in the next é.
Afraid of what he'll find -- he peeks into the next room.
EB PAST
he
nt
There is a VISION. PLASHBACK FROM TE
A MAN and WOMAN are locked in a cage embrace, in a
office. We can't see their faces They both cry, the
hugging and comforting the woman.
ma
tad
docter
rh
ras Mis
locks up -- and they're Young Mike and Lily. Both
There are experimental treatments... Young Mike shakes his head.
We REVEAL Gracie in a hospital bed, listening behind a curtain. She's nine, pallid and thin. LILY (0.S8.) She'll oniy get through this if she believes. We need to give her hope!
YOUNG MIKE (0.S.)
Why? So she can spend the end of her life being LIED to?!
Gracie's eyes widen.
Ps ts {
& fi
He recoils, shocked she heard this. He's crushed.
Gracie...
Mike feebly extends his arm --
BLACKNESS ! TELY DARK.
tx]
The room qoes COMPT,
Mike gasps, confused.
He stumbles. CRASH! A lamp FALLS and breaks.
We hear Mike's breathing accelerate, getting heavy.
Suddenly, a TERRIFYING VOICE. The VOICE OF THE ROOM, rasping, non-human, coming from everywhere:
ound. He reaches for the LIGHT SWITCH.
We HEAR Mike tr ar a ICKS it -- up down, up down --
He franticaily
BLINK! The lights go on.
The room is back to normal. Mike is gasping, heaving. Looking about. Okay. Okay. Everything seems alright...
He turns -- and, AGHH!
HIS Pov
A terrifying SKINNY LADY lunges at him! Grabbing his throat! MIKE
screams, Startled. Fighting her off.
THE SKINNY LADY
grips harder, snarling.
MIKE
When he glances sideways into a MIRROR. In the reflection, he is alone. Staggering back, choking himself.
Mike yelpe and releases his own grip. He coughs, struggling for breath. He peers around. He is alone.
_ MIKE (he Jumps, startled)
Dazed, Mike rubs himself for warmth.
THE THERMOSTAT
pet
Desperate, he flips it open -- but it flashes: “BATTERY LOW"
What?! Mike growls, livid. Suddenly he glimpses something else -- his LAPTOP.
Hmm..! His eyes light up. He nervously glances back, then guickly covers the computer. Mike grabs a shirt.
Suddenly, he pushes the desk over. WHUMP! Everything CRASHES down. Mike drags the desk to the wall, t c up. He glances suspiciously at the little bl the vent... then hooks the shirt over the grat
ct
Mike jumps down. He runs to his
Mike grabs it and snaps it open. The SCREEN lights up.
oy tad
popped for wireless ~--
He waits patiently. The WI-FI icon scrolls. Searching... searching... then --
Mike groans. WIDE
Irked, he grabs the laptop and starts stalking around the room. Holding it over his head. Hunting for a sweet spot. The icon flashes red... green... red. Mike glances at the bricked-—over window.
Mike stands on a che holding the laptop up against the
if; rick. And... with a little jiggling -- the icon turns GREEN.
j The sereen flashes. An INTERNET WINDOW OPENS.
Mike gleefully cances about. He FLIPS the Bird. MIKE And FUCK YOU, Mr. Scary Room Voice Guy! I'm connected! !
Mike goes to his contacts. He quick icks on “BUDDY LIST
He
nd -~ oné name is there: "LILY _ENSLIN"
MIKE
Mike winces ~- he has no choice. He steels hims : types into the Instant Message Box: "LILY, I NEED HEL
Mike types again: “EMERGENCY!”
a WINDOW OPENS UP as a REAL-TIME WEBCAM ace stares back at us: os
he's more Weary than pretty these days. Just hanging on looks Gryly at Mike.
LILY (OVER VIDEOLINK)
Yeah, well neither do I. She goes to sign off.
She stops. MIKE I need you call the cops, send ‘em to
West 6list and --
OVER VIDEOLINK)
(OVER VIDEOLINK) and you didn't
&
oh
oy in
What?!
an unexpected HISSING. Mike looks up.
The EMERGENCY SPRINKLERS go off! Water RAINS DOWN upon Mike
and the computer! No -— NO!
Mike tries to cover the laptop, but it’s too late. Water falls through the keys and into the electronics.
Lily's IMAGE over the screen begins to BREAK UP.
PSSSTTTT! The computer screen goes BLACK.
Raining droplets are everywhere, falling into the electric y BMPS LAD i’ > e
The LIGHTS begin to flicker, creating a slow strobe effect.
AUTIFUL WOMAN from the lobby. ps from her nipple, down into by's face is blue, dead.
THE PAINTING OF THE SATLORS
nto a roiling aces are pale,
turns into a@ ROTTING GHOST SHIP. They sail sea, covered in black clouds. The seamen’s starving, staring hopelessly.
:
o — i oe
Mike turns, shaky. FLASH!
THE PAINTING OF THE HUNT
The British men in red coats and hats get pulled off their
& horses by the dogs. The dogs RIP the men apart, tearing their fiesh.
MIKE
whimpers. Around him, rain pours harder. WHOOOSH! A TORNADO- LIKE SOUND roars. A liguid churning, growing louder...
Mike covers his ears and careens through the sopping mess,
shivering, looking for a way out. His feet smoosh in the soaking carpet.
Mike passes the Thermostat. It's dropped to 48 DEGREES.
He pounds on the closed-up windows.
reer. A BLAST OF COLD gushes from the AIR VENT, SoFFY .
Mike's eyes narrow, thinking. Intrigued, leser to the VENT...
Mike CLAMBERS UP onto the desk. He's righ He takes out his PENLIGHT and shines it up through the opening.
INSIDE THE VENT
Ttis dar Mike pu
I py
poe hh Oo ny
boding. In the shadows is the black tube. e up to it
ANGLE ~- MIKE
He tugs the grate ~- it's fastened with four bolts. Fine. He hurriedly pulis out his trusty LETTER OPENER and starts to use it as a screwdriver...
Mike unscrews the first bolt. It falls to the ground. An anxious pause -~ then he quickly unscrews the second belt
The third.
tH
wo a ie) a i rt Ww
Sa
Wary, Mike reaches and slowly pulls the grate off the ceiling. He drops it, watching it hit the floor with a CLANG.
Beat -~ then he slowly turns back to the now-open vent. Suddeniy, he LUNGES at the tiny black tube and GRABS it.
MIKE
Gon
TK
I
There's... nobody watching me?? ong pause; confuse d)
A halting moment. He gathers his wits, then stares into the 3)
oy OD
Mike clangs onto the hard cold surface. He pulls his legs up.
is) ct th ® ® my Hh ie)
a fy Dy Ny Q
Inside, it’s black. We can'
Mike aims his penlight, but it's just a dull glow. Shadows and rat droppings.
Mike takes a breath, then squirms forward.
It's murky and unsettling. The air BLASTS. Mike slithers along... umsure, creeped-out. Until, his penlight reveals
Mike stops -- not sure where to go. He shines the tiny light both ways... but the beam disappears into dimness.
Then -~ faint VOICES. Mike's eyes bulge. The VOICES are from the right.
Mike gets excited. Other people! He scrambles down the vent.
fo
sees LIGHT. It's coming from a GRATE in the floor 3 .
Mike hustles faster. He reaches the grate -~ then looks down.
It's the next Hotel Room. From above, we see the Young Mother holding her CRYING baby.
Oy VS
The Baby WAITLS harder.
The Mother turns -~ REVEALING SHE'S LILY. Young Lily, from
the PAST.
MIKE
is tormented. He scurries to follow her. He rushes along the vent. Banging himself on the sharp metal --~
He spots the next GRATE. Braced, he rushes over to it -- then GASPS.
BELOW
is a PARK. Trees, a path.
Then two men walk by. Young Mike from the PAST, arguing with his Father. Father is younger, healthy. FATHER Mike, don't do this! She needs you. (reticent)
g ib oy}
PATHER
TT? a + MH Nou --
And crawling across his fing
Ugh...!
fike brushes away the bug.
revealing HUNDREDS OF ROACHES.
MIKE
Grossed-out, through the vent.
Hurry!
hurriedly BACKS UP.
MIKE
can make my own
Teky.
The penlight's beam swings ~- The VENT IS FESTERING.
Rushing backwards
The beam rolis, grazing across skittering bugs.
Mike rushes faster. claustrophic metal. Suddenly, he reaches 4
He's plunged down a
Mike plummets inte blackness, falli
His breathing echoes through the
junction --~ and DROPS.
ng backwards!
ke
He flails, then SLAMS his hand, just catching the edge. Hanging on for dear life. Mike glances down. It's ABSOLUTELY BLACK below. With a rush of adrenaline, Mike struggles to pull himself o Straining, muscles clenching... he lifts himself up.
sucks in air. Resolved, he whirls about to race
wd jeond rs
CLOSEUP
Pasty KEVIN O'MALLEY is face-to-face with him! Kevin's eyes are Wild, his skin bloated and blue.
Mike SCREAMS, startled.
Kevin gazes crazily, his mouth a pinched grimace.
Kevin stares, unspeaking. His breathing a HORRIBLE WHEEZE.
Then... he slowly lifts his head. Revealing his THROAT Is SLICED OPEN, ear to ear.
His bloody windpipe is visible, raspy. Kevin's mouth opens and shuts, puppetiike, but only a moist gurgle comes out.
Mike recoils, terrified. ON THE MEN
Kevin O'Malley raises a 6-INCH NEEDLE AND THREAD. He points and gurgles a barely intelligible phrase.
Then, again: "Fix it." Yikes! Mike pulls back in disgust and fear.
Kevin O'Malley suddenly lunges forward.
HELP! Mike spins away. Kevin CHASES. Freakily gurgling, “Pix iti Fix it!” MIKE barrels through the tiny space. Rushing for his life. Kevin O'Malley SKITTERS after him. Mike races, reaching THE T~JUNCTION He squirms down the RIGHT VENT. He makes it a few feet, when -- if a
CRUNCH} a VENT CO Giant Rn
LAPSES RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIMi! As ha ed it
like a Coke can.
The Vent continues CRUSHING IN, moving closer!
DOWN THE LEFT VENT
his face a horrible
comes Kevin,
fe. ral m ny wo } fo
crawls li MAIN VENT
Where in the distance he can see the CPENING to
square of light -- THE OTHER VENT keeps CRUSHING! Metal SMASHING closer -- “MIKE'S FEET
scurry as fast as they can.
SLAM! Kevin Mike SCREAMS, pained.
He KICKS backward. His fo like a sponge. Kevin O'Ma SQUEEZING him out of view.
ot il
Mike speeds faster. Room 1408 visible --
The CRUSHING, TWISTING METAL is now inches away
As Mike HURLS himself forward...
SAME TIME
the needle
O'Malley STABS his needle into Mike's leg.
through Kevin's head, the CRUSHING VENT
.»-and fails through the vent into the room. SLAM! ! He bounces off the desk, hitting the ground -- as the sheet metal Vent BUCKLES CLOSED. BAM!! TIGHT - MIKE He lies there, verwhelm med. Breathing in fits, face drenched in sweat, absolutely dumbstruck. He looks up at the ceiling... then around the room. Beat. MIKE I need a drink.
ib ars is im} w
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BR COLLAGE of tearful VOICES...
SORROWFUL VOICE #1 She's in a better place, Mike...
SORROWFUL VOICE #2 She was in so much pain...
SORROWFUL VOICE #3 Tim sure she’s smiling down at us right now...
Mike winces, agonized.
OL
:IN How many. spirit
“MIKE
He
ABAAAAH! Enraged, Mike SLAMS shut the Mini-Bar.
Mike spins. He looks around, then spots the Cognac in the bedroom. Ah! He beelines for the bottle, then snatches it up. He uncorks it and thirstily chugs the drink.
Pause -~ then he calms. He glances down at the hotel Bible. Curious, Mike picks it up, then flips through.
INSERT - BIBLE
The PAGES are all now blank.
rowns. Then, a faraway voice...
. GRACIE (V.0.) Why is our bible purple?
Mike looks up. There is a spectral
The Enslin family's old apartment, set-up as a grim hospice. Gracie lies in bed, in a pink butterfly nightgown, in the
final, terrible stages of cancer. She's skeletal. Waxen. ¥
a
Lily site by her, gripping a purple BIBLE. She laughs awkwardly.
t's nice. The cover is real
But it
leather... GRACIE
Are there people where T'm going? LILY
You're not going anywhere.
We reveal Young Mike sitting in the window, smoking a cigarette. He stubs out the smoke.
YOUNG MIKE
Daddy says a lot of stupid things.
(he comes over to the bed) You're too young to understand, but when you grow up and become an adult...
(he forces a smile) you'll realize I'm crazy.
Gracie giggles. Mike gently brushes her cheek.
she jumps in) And then you'll go to a better place. And lots of people will be there... (her voice cracks)
All your friends.... And you’li be able to run around again... play...
t Mike.
fy
Gracie looks up
“Ad *
A profound silence. He stammers, stuck.
YOUNG MIKE
YOUNG MIKE
The crematorium glows white, then blazes piercingly hot. The casket disappears into the heat.
its on Gracie’s bed, weeping. | He's unshaven, 7}
Gracie is gone. Lily can't even look at him
ood
Mike throws down the nightie
eueyiTm Re ed
ie oe)
Mike breaks down, devastated. He slumps back against the wall, whispering to himsel
He holds his gut, a terrible ache that will never leave.
AR sorrowful silence... an emptiness... until -- CLICK.
Mike turns, Startled. His MINI~RECORDER has clicked into PLAY. Its wheels spin...
Mike grabs the recorder and hits STOP.
A pause —- then the wheeis suddenly lurch into motion, by
themselves.
The grating, scary Voice of the Room SCREECHES out.
SHUT UP YOURSELF, ASSHOLE! You VALKED OUT, LIKE A SNIVELING LITTLE PUSSY! WALKED OUT ON YOUR WIFE, YOUR
FATHER, YOUR FRIENDS...
Mike stares desolately.
THAT COULD PROVE YOU WRONG? MIKE Mike sighs. Beaten.
MIKE
Suddenly -~ RIITIIIINNGG!
starts whirring. It's LCD screen says, "Receiving"
Mike peers, confused.
TIGHT - FAX MACHINE
“a
Dp a re a ty a) ra fs i Q Oo
ra) wa jet i ct C C oy it O ra ct ca CY 7 ct rf pe het
sud
i ®
But his daughter's PINK BUTTERFLY NIGHTGOWN. Stained with mucus, blood, all the liquids of her dying.
m the machine, into Mike's hands.
58) ed Oo Q Pi
o ry i a ra ct {B Ou fe)
AHHHHHI 11
Mike tries to p freaked, but the mucus on the nightgown clings S.
Mike shakes it, revuised. He desperately races away —-
Into the: bathroom. Mike throws the nightie in the sink, violently turning on "the water.
FWOOSH! Water pours out, everywhere.
Mike shudders to tear the nightgown away. It comes loose, discolored fluids floating in the sink...
Frightened, Mike backs out, SLAMMING the door.
Mike bolts back in, shivering. He can SEE HIS BREATH. The Thermostat has dropped to 32 degrees.
Water droplets are FROZEN AROUND THE ROOM. A weird, almost Christmas-like atmosphere.
Mike blinks. He stares up. THE WALL'S CRACK
s grown. The fissures cover the walls, ceiling and floor. Like a spiderweb.
keeps ticking down. 16:41... 16:40... 16:39...
~ a ANGGiL ss.
Then, a distant voice, like a dream...
fe oye
O.S.)
ae
ri ne.
ry °
ras 4 } os Can you hear
Mike bolts up, daze He wheels around.
fe
wy) Q, yg r be
MIKE
LILY (OVER VIDEOLINK)
HE Q G ny 11) Li] Gi R i wy)
Of course I'm sure! Please! Send them to 1408!
Lily bites her lip, scared.
ezes, terrified.
Dp hy co ta His i vie J ‘o)
Ke A
ut ty) i (9) 9) oY : al @
; ( Mike, where the hell are vou?!
Mike looks all around.
Suddenly everything in the room looks more menacing. Jagged.
Oo femb cy
Mike blanches. Hands shaking, he picks up the room FILE. Vintage PHOTOS of grisly 1408 DEATH SCENES: A MILITARY MAN. YOUNG EXECUTIVE IN A DERBY. A CUTE WOMAN.
All bloodied and gone.
He shudders.
This admission catches them both by surprise. Beat -- then she flashes a tender smile.
LILY (OVER VIDEOLINE
Well... I feel the same way. See you soon. CLICK! She signs off.
A
When suddenly --~ WHUMP!! The ENTIRE ROOM SHAKES, as if by a huge EARTHQUAKE.
iLling. Furniture and lamps CRASH.
e
PLASTER falls from the ce
The entire FLOOR begins to buckle and crack.
Mike loses his footing and stumbles to the ground. His head on + den +4 4 Seri. kee he sn
oor with a Sickening CRACK!
His eyes shut -- then reopen, dazed. He looks up, disoriented and childlike.
A light frost is falling. ICE CRYSTALS form on his hair. Then, the ARMOIRE swivels into view... and comes DOWN.
Yikes!! Mike LURCHES out of the way, as -- SMASH! -- the massive cabinet crashes to the floor, splintering.
Mike groggily leaps to his feet. He gazes around.
THE SUITE
complete wreck. Broken furniture, collapsed ceiling and
The floor has BOWED around the bed, which lies at a slant.
Mike's feet are in liguid. A sludgy half-frozen muck. His eyes follow the source of the water. Puddied in the corner.
then up... trickling down the wall... leading to
e¢
THE PAINTING OF THE GHOST SHIP
Which is now PHOTO-REALISTIC and ALIVE. Tossing in the waves!
+
t Kevin O'Malley, hands on the tiller, his eyes ight at us.
The jaundiced, starved faces of the sailors are MOVING. They SCREAM, frenzied, They're all now the VICTIMS FROM 1408: The Natty Man uspenders. The Factory owner. And most
2 ;
prominent] ; boring stra
Chilled, Mike turns ~~
ow {a3
hart
k THR PAINTING OF THE HUNT
The dogs are ravenous, BARKING! Tearing their masters to pieces. The men moan. The horses run off.
THE PAINTING OF MOTHER AND CHILD
The blue baby's mouth is twisted, teeth filed to RAZOR SHARP POINTS. The mother weeps with despair, as the baby HISSES and attacks her.
Mike covers his eyes, unable to take it.
ON THE PAINTINGS
The. CRIES grow louder, mere insistent. The ship rocks harder. The ocean pounds.
The SHRIEKING grows.
MIKE
Geass
Stop! STOP!
Unhinged, Mike SLAMS his fist at the painting, trying to stop it. His knuckles BREAK the glass, ripping the canvas.
Suddenly -~- FLOOOOOOSH! SEA WATER BLASTS FROM THE PAINTING! & LIKE THE FORCE OF A HUNDRED FIRE HOSES.
The ROOM FILLS with water, at an incredible speed. Higher, higher --
Mike fights the current. Debris swallows him up delirious, he starts muttering the Act of Contri MTRKE "O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins..."
s will gives out. He gets pulled under.
Underwater, Mike turns, and sees the back
mM sh
In its place is the GHOST SHIP. Sinking downward toward a black abyss. Mike gapes, his eyes buiging from lack of air.
Everything swiris. Hes
~ 10
Pp His arms tire. Bubbles pop from his mouth, as he begins to breathe in water. Mike's body goes limp. He's pulled into the ocean's darkness...
All seems iost... the end imminent, when —-
A strange object unexpectedly appears.
Foggy, Mike looks up.
Then -~ he gasps.
IT'S MIKE'S SURFBOARD
Hovering above him, like a godsend.
Mike is startled, confused -~ but grateful. He lurches and
grabs it -- hanging on -~ his last chance for life. When, it unexpectedly pitches and HAMMERS him in the head.
ECU - MIKE'S FACE
Mike lies mutely on his back, on the sand. Hyperventilating. Winded. Eyes glassy. But, alive.
He's back in the beach scene from the beginning.
Then... a faint BUZZING. Mike looks up.
The small AIRPLANE flies overhead, towing the BANNER. It passes through the brightness, in sharp silhouette,
The plane crosses a cloud, and the banner becomes readable: CHEAP AUTO INSURANCE CALL 1-800-222-1408"
MIKE’S
The four mumbers: *1408°
explode. Then --
His chest tightens. His brain feeis like it
A wet LIFEGUARD thrusts his head into view.
Mike's jaw quivers, but forms no words. Utterly drained, he
Ene
passes out.
His head is bandaged and his face drawn, but his breathing is even. Slowly, he opens his eyes.
Mike is lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. A tree is outside the window. LILY (0.8.
He's alive...!
Mike turns. Sitting in a chair, watching him, is Lily. She
i stands, relieve
ke wipes his eyes, confused.
New York??
No ~~ Miami You got h with your board. You've been o1 a day.
to takes this in, uncomprehending. She comes over.
Qu a
te)
es
& fried. (trying to focus)
I was trapped... I was dying... in this weird hotel. The Dolphin --
She trembles, then starts weeping. [TRE She pd
(MORE)
In another hospital.
His eyes get watery. She gets emotional, then suddenly hurries into the bathroom.
been three years?
|”? fe a Q 1) i |
Since...
They both trail off. She peers at him, still terribly hurt. Her voice drops to a hush.
Lily shudders, silent.
Mike reaches out... straining... and takes her hand.
He looks in her eyes, seeing the truth of his life.
mning away.
ii or abandoning
cUT TO:
Lily huddles by herself, talking on a CELLPHONE. LILY (on cellphone) I think I'm gonna stay a couple extra days. (beat; embarrassed) No, nothing's going on. But Mike had a concussion and he's talking kind of strange. Almost hallucinatory... (beat) He might need a little help.
Lily drives a white rental car. Mike sits in the passenger seat staring, a large bandage across his temple.
The boulevard is quite uninspiring: Overgrown paim trees, oraffitied Cuban markets, faded pink motels.
MIKE
I can be anonymous. She laughs.
Lily drops Mike off at his car. It has two parking
ut at the turguoise water. In the distance, a Tm in the waves.
a8) So &
The same fluorescent craphole we saw before. The scene plays just like last time: Mike enters and goes to his mailbox. He unlocks it, removing a startling amount of MAIL.
The MAILBOX GUY nods.
A disint erested beat -- then Mike reacts, offput.
Mike sits in his corner booth, alone. He's going through months of OPENED MAIL. The table is spread with brochures
from haunted hotels and inns... a bill from Saint Joseph's Nursing Home... the Weekly World News...
Mike slashes an envelope with his letter opener, removing a childish GREETING CARD. It has a cartoon monkey saying "No Monkeying Around! Happy Birthday!"
] Mike reacts, strangely. The oddest sensation...
He frowns -- then suddenly wades through all the hotel mail. Frantically digging through photos, flyers... searching... searching...
The door SLAMS open. Mike barges back in, a bit frenzied.
MATLBOX GUY
Perturbed, Mike scans the £f <p bee.
' oor. Then his eyes drift... up, up... to the CEILING. Up the
re is an ATR VENT. Mike is bothered.
Mike runs out, punching "411" into his CELLPHONE. He paces the sidewalk, bristling with nervous energy.
Long beat. Then:
angel!
Mike can't accept this.
Matt
io) Ga fo
tJ O
Mike RUNS up to the research desk. He flags down a LIBRARIAN.
fike frantically scrolls through MICROFICHE, pages blurring
by. Suddenly, he finds the ancient New York Herald-Tribune SS ront page. He leans in -- but the headline has changed.
Now it says "FACTORY OWNER LEAPS OFF BRIDGE.” Underneath is a PHOTO of some cops at a riverbank.
Mike gasps, disturbed.
f dislocat ion... when he remembers something. Mike whips out his LEGAL PAD. But -- now the pages are all EMPTY.
A spooky pause... when suddenly -- RING!! It's his CELLPHONE. Mike jumps, startled. Quickly, he answers. The screen says "TILLY." “
4k °
MIKE
a ®
ke and Lily have dinner at a nice beachfront cafe. Waves a in £
He stares, entranced. MIRE I can't believe I'm sitting here with you.
She slowly smiles.
A WOMAN in a flowered dress passes by. Mike glances -~ and for a FLASH she's the Portiy Lady from 1408.
Huh?
Mike turns -- and now she's a CUBAN LADY. Questioning himself. He leans i:
He wipes his eyes, on edge. We MOVE IN on the couple.
to Lily, his voice tremulous.
AT THE NEXT TABLE
Two GUYS get up and leave. Left on a plate are the remains a beef burger soaked in red ketchup. A fly buzzes... Mike doesn't notice.
If it means something to you. Maybe, you've been given a second chance.
Mike thinks. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
on Mike, rapidly TYPING AWAY at his computer.
|
GH
| H
1 CLICK! CLICK!
Be
LICH
ie)
The computer screen FILLS WITH WORDS. Mik pouring out. His face ablaze...
f{TKE'S VOICE
"I grabbed my overnight case. ‘Mr. olin, I‘ve never seen a ghost, and don't believe I ever will. '
(beat) "Olin smirked. “I’m afraid you don't believe in anything. But in 1408, your unbelief wiil oniy render you more vulnerable. ‘”
It's dark outside. The desk is littered with potato chip bags.
MIKE’S VOICE "The man wore a 1920's brown wool suit. Suspenders. He pulled the noose round his neck -~- then jumped..."
Mike types faster.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
Mike slurps a coffee.
Sam grins at his speakerphone. He shouts.
5AM Mikey! You sound happy.
Tt can't believe it! The work’s just pouring cut of me! I think I've invented some new literary form: The fiction memoir. Autobiography of a nightmare. It's sort of like Capote meets Whitley Strieber.
I wanna put it out to auction -~ start a bidding war! When c Lt?
Mike is dropping off Lily. She has her bags. A tender smile between them.
be4
An awkward pause -~- and then they kiss.
The laser printer is WHIRRING. Pages come speeding out, crisp and clean.
Mike reads them proudly. LATER
Mike neatly stacks the sheets. He slides them into a fat manila ENVELOPE.
Mike jauntily climbs in his car, clutching the package. He
sweeps a pile of junk off the seat, onto the floor. A shred of paper catches his eye -- the nursing home bill.
Hmm. He thinks...
ir s lobby. VERY OLD PEOPLE sit unmoving, some in ichairs. ORDERLIES silently clean. A TV plays unwatched.
Mike bursts through the doors. He looks around, lost. AIL the WOMEN look alike -- wrinkled emaciated figures with big glasses and white hair. All the MEN are huddled in bathrob faces unshaven, eyes vacant.
Mike studies the men, trying to decide if one is his father.
But then... he notices his dad in a wheelchair, rolled over by : 4 7. Fad < *
a window. A shell of a man, gaging out...
Mike's face falis. Then, he girds himself and hurries over.
doesn't react. Mike gently approaches.
No response.
Mike pulls up a chair. He takes his father’s veined hand.
Nothing. No reaction at all. Mike whispers.
MI Well... I'm actually pretty good. I'm speaking to Lily again...
The old guy keeps staring out the glass.
A beat. Then -- a brief flicker crosses Father’s face. His eyes widen.
CU - MIKE
He trembles, touched. A pang of emotion, this briefest of connections meaning so much to him.
Mike strides back into the mailbox store. The place i cluttered, WORKMEN busy on ladders. The clock says 4: Mike slams the big envelope down on the counter.
is)
Hil I've got a package I need t
T ailbox Guy is turned away from us. He doesn't move. Mike glances nervously at the clock.
The Mailbox Guy turns... revealing HE IS ACTUALLY MR. OLIN.
OLIN SMIRKS, OMNISCIENT and ALL-POWERFUL. He takes the
package. OLIN I'm sorry, Mr. Enslin. Your time is up. Mike GASPS, stupefied. MIKE Whe...?!! & A WORKMAN
scrapes away some drywall, revealing BUTTERFLY PAPER UNDERNEATH. MIKE
spins, bewildered.
WIDE
revealing he's the ENGINEER from the L un
Another WORKMAN turns, he floor, unveiling BEIGE CARPET underneath.
hotel. He slams th ON MIKE’S FACE
All color drains. His expression goes from fear... to realization... to madness.
The room starts SPINNING.
AROUND HIM, the SOUND of CONSTRUCTION BUILDS. Louder, LOUDER, a CRUSH of activity.
THE ROOM
+
spins faster. Every revolution transforms us back to 1408.
A WORKMAN leers, in a blur becoming Kevin O'Malley. Mike staggers, terrified.
The room spins faster. The Mailbox Store is vanishing. The CEILING tile crashes down, revealing 1408's VENT. The FURNITURE appears around us,
The WHIR builds to a high-pitched, painful SHRIEK -- And THEN --
The howl suddenly STOPS.
And Mike is left, collapsed onto the carpet of 1408. Curled in a fetal position, whimpering, confused.
He slowly lifts his head... and a horrible guttural MOAN passes from his lips.
He's back.
THE ROOM IS JUST AS HE LEFT IT. RAVAGED. DRENCHED. LIKE A HURRICANE BLEW THROUGH.
The unplugged clock keeps ticking down: 4:55... 4:54... Mike unsteadily rises. He shouts plaintively.
elice is behind him. Unnerved, Mike slowly turns. And ck there... 18...
A DOOR
Standing all by itself in the middle of the room.
Tentative, shaky, he crosses closer...
The door waits. Mike forces himself. Sweating. Heart pounding crazy.
Valiantly, hands trembling... he reaches to the handle. Grimacing with dread, he starts to turn it --
wT
When ~- his courage lets out. e lets go.
The VOICE snickers. VOICE OF THE ROOM MICHAEL..! YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN. FOR A LIFE AFTER DEATH! WELL, HERE I AM. THE DOOR HANDLE
starts turning by itself.
Mike shudders. PHE DOOR
slowly opens. Through the crack, we SEE a DEEP, BLACK SPACE of a place that exists somewhere other than 1408.
e DON’T SEE what is revealed behind the door. But Mike does. is FACE behoids a horrer no sane person can endure.
ri {SS
His eyes widen. His mouth opens in a silent scream.
His legs buckle under him.
GODBDDDDDDDDDD!
Mike crumples in on himself, finished. He's cowering, beaten. He covers his head, preparing for a fatal blow. We MOVE CLOSER... CLOSER... until his FACE IS IN TIGHT CLOSE-UP. Readying himself for an unimaginable fate.
The tension of the moment builds to a climax. The end imminent. And then --
A melancholy MUSIC. —_ RAREN CARPENTER'S VOICE (singing) "We've only just begun...” Huh? Mike locks up. IN FRONT OF HIM The door has DISAPPEARED. In its place is GRACTIE
Dressed in her dirty pink nightgown. She's pale, skeletally thin, her hair falling out.
She looks at Mike and smiles. A smile that makes her face look even more skull-like.
He backs away. Hurt, she weakly reaches to touch him...
<
Tears spring to Mike's eyes. Fighting this, he steps back.
poo © con a
WAAL. 2
So cold...
Mike's face caves. Suddenly overpowered by feelings, he RUSHES FORWARD and GRABS her tightly.
TIGHT - MIKE AND GRACIE
His eyes are shut, clinging to her tiny body. The most electric thing he’s ever felt.
She speaks, barely a whisper.
He looks up, as she convulses violently. Her face damp with sweat. He touches her forehead -- it's burning up.
Her eyes brim with tears of pain.
, she brushes her hand to his cheek.
Hay &» ue ae ke
draws her hand, it leaves a TRAIL OF ASH.
fend © - A ci
GRACIE
unexpectedly collapses, like a balloon that's lest all air.
Mike shakes her, but she is still.
Mike immediately begins CPR. He puts his mouth over breathing air into her lost lungs.
He furiously begins CPR. He begs, between breaths.
vB
MIKE
keeps pressing on her chest. Through his face, we see vain hope. Despair. And finaily... loss.
od
Shaken, he pulis his hands away. They are COVERED IN ASH. ABOVE
Gracie'’s body has TURNED TO DUST. She is gone.
Mike is immobile. Hands gray with the remains of his child.
His heart is empty. Absolute sorrow. Grieving, eyes sunken, he looks up. Just wanting it to end.
THE CLOCK
ticks down. 00:10... 00:09... 00:08...
¢ ‘ a ‘ L LoS 7p “4 reaches the finish: 06:03... 60:02... 00:61...
starts FLICKERING. The LED numbers flash randomly...
MIKE
waits despondently. Around him, the ash disappears. The gray dust dissipates, like a dream, into nothingness.
Mike stares, uncomprehending. Until he peers up -- and GASPS
WIDE VIEW OF THE ROOM
1408 has RETURNED TO ITS OPENING STATE. No water damage. Windows back. Everything restored to when we first entered.
k radio RESETS TO 60:00. It begins counting down
The cioc 2 59259... 59:58... 59257...
again MIKE goes into shock. Dumbstruck. His voice cracking.
Mike’s skin gets clammy. He staggers, lightheaded.
OL!
UNLESS, YOU CHOO
Something FALLS right behind him. Mike turns -- A ROPE NOOSE
hangs, attached to the ceiling. Below it is a chair.
x
The TEMPERATURE is getting hellish: 115... 120... 12
un
e & &
draws the roce around his neck.
ke is weeping. Confused. Unable to think clearly, he steps to the chair. He 4 }
Mike stands there, eyes glassy. Pondering his fate.
But -~- not jumping. Emotions and regrets pound through his
He grips the rope tight... then suddenly pulis it off, crying.
He)
ct
e-
The VOICE booms, furious.
The TV suddenly turns on. ON THE TV SCREEN We see Lily, guilelessily entering the Dolphin lobby.
MIKE’S FACE
ON THE TV
Lily's celiphone sharply RINGS. She answers.
Hello?
We hear MIKE'S SIMULATED VOICE.
feosd Co pie
Lily, it's me. LILY Mike?
ON THE TV
Lily enters the elevator. The doors shutting...
MIKE
ces his CELLPHONE on
ct h-
starts freaking out. He spins, then no the floor. Its screen flickers.
pe
Ahi Mike looks around, paranoid, then grabs the phone. Its power blinks. Frantic, he hurriedly DIALS Lily. He bites his neils. RING! RING...!
She rides up the elevator, oblivious. ON MIKE MIKE
‘mon, c’mon... More RINGING. Then -- a MAN answers, through garbled STATIC.
MAN (V.0.)
a uy) pu bet 12) way
A discombobulated beat. It's a wrong number, but... strangely familiar. MIKE Hello?! Who -- who is this???
oval © wn
' INT. RESEARCH LIBRARY ~ THE PAST It's Mike back in the microfiche room, in the past, receiving the call. All he hears is STATIC.
Hello! This anybody ther
be A
pes
408 - PRESENT
ke blanches, realizing. He shouts deliriously.
¥ 1)
His phone suddenly SPARKS, shorting. It FLAMES, burning him. He cries out and drops it. Mike turns worriedly to
Incensed, he runs toward the door.
CRAZY ANGLE
Suddenly -- the ROOM PIVOTS, slanting to 45 DEGREES!
n PHty uy) ‘aan kb med fe ia uy vp Fs re
Mike trip
The floor is crazy. Mike t climb. His naked hands fall
Mike SCREAMS in pain. But he keeps going.
The elevator opens on the 14th floor. Lily steps out...
The SLANT is now INSANE. The floor is practically vertical. Mike hangs onto the furniture,
xr ike a rock climber. Using all his might, he hoists himself.
ft fet
i
2 6 @
Oo. 14
The thermostat keeps rising. 1 Mike struggles to move. He can barely breathe through the Sweltering heat. He looks up -- and the living room has LENGTHENED. The DOOR now seems a football field away. Just a speck.
MIKE
moans. His feet STICK to the hot melting carpet. He wants to move, but collapses. The fabric burns into his hands.
The door is hopelessly far away. In anguish, unable to crawl, he weakly glances at the TV.
Lily walks down the hall. Approaching... CLOSEUP - MIKE In a final gasp at salvation, Mike whispers.
She contemplates this sensation, her face a mix of strange emotions. Then ~~ she suddenly turns and LEAVES.
Jeet
wen ®
Mike is overwrought. Volatile, rapturous. He slowly looks r up... and then his expression darkens. MIKE tT know I've lived the life of a se 1fis sh man... (pause)
é
But I don't have to di
D
that way. Mike reaches for the fallen BOOK OF MATCHES.
PS out a match and STRIKES it against the y little doorman.
Mike crawls across the floor. Holding the match out, straining to touch it to a CURTAIN...
When -- WHOOSH! A HUSH OF WIND from the air conditioning vent blows it out.
4 VOICE OF THE ROOM YOU'D JUST BE KILLING YOURSELF.
Mike considers this... then nods. MIKE As long as I kill you too, I can rest
in peace.
Suddenly, Mike grabs Olin'
Mike pops the cork, then lights the ENTIRE BOOK OF MATCHES. ht, a crazy glow under his face. Mike
1 le, Lighting the flammable liquid. Mike spins and HURLS the MOLOTOV COCKTAIL
BLAMMMM!! The entire ROOM explodes in flames.
The FIRE instantly spreads, igniting the carpet and furniture.
FSSST! The SPRINKLERS COME ON ~~ the room's desperate attempt o save itself. Mike laughs manically.
fons <> ca)
Too LATE! You'll never hurt anyone again
The CURTAINS flare up, blindingly orange. The blaze SEARS, the walls erupt.
Mike stands inside the inferno, seething. In a final act, he clicks on his recorder:
The flames congeal, then DETONATE.
KABOOM! A thundering FIREBALL blasts out the window.
Mike is cbliterated from view.
The raging flames scorch the ceiling, then get sucked into the IR VENT.
ail
ew
Pulsing FIRE courses through the vents. Splitting ir directions.
Fire ALARMS go off.
th
ctl
tel doors start SLAMMING open. Frantic GUESTS rush toward 2 ther.
exits, SCREAMING, pushing cach othe
XT. DOLPHIN HOTEL - UPPER STORIES - SAME TIME
ty
Flames POUR OUT of the top stories. Smoke fills the sky.
2 TL. GUESTS come flying cut the doors, many in Jamas, furiously racing for 1+} treet
pend oo \eo ®
yellow-orange LIGHT brightens almost painfully hot -~ and sex * .
Se en, for a final
Mike's eyes glisten. A brief, satisfied smile... and then he’s swallowed by the fire.
The ceiling COLLAPSES, burning. SHOUTS and SCREAMS, as the last GUESTS shove their way out. We MOVE THROUGH the blazing debris. Past the ash, through the charred furniture, toward the Reception counter...
The beautiful oak paneling is ablaze. Shelves fall, rare books crumbling into dust.
Sitting amid the devastation, perfectly calm at his desk, is Qlin. Like the captain of the Titanic, he is unruffled. He leans back in his chair, at peace, enjoying a cigar. An amber brandy in his hand.
He swirls the brandy in its snifter, then takes a slow sip. Ahh...
Until, oddly -- RING! It’s an interrupting PHONECALL. Olin stares quizzically, then begrudgingly puts down his brandy.
INSERT - THE SNIFTER
It gets placed on the desk upon a PILE OF POSTCARDS. The same Dolphin Hotel postcard that Mike received.
ANGLE ~ OLIN
He answers his phone, crisp and professional.
Olin listens, then shrugs.
a) foot o
n gently hangs up the phone. Then he takes a puff of his
io ae i
Behind him, the walls CAVE IN.
te H te
il oo
be
XT. DOLPHIN HOTE
che FIRE DEPARTM “ENT is in front, spraying the building down. Hook~and-ladders fill the street.
POLICEMEN hold back the shivering quests. We TRACK PAST their bewildered faces ~- cold, frightened, tired ~- until we land on one woman, off to herself.
Lily. She gazes up at the Hotel. Then, she sadly speaks.
Goodbye, Mike.
A small funeral, under gray skies.
A DOZEN people are huddled around a fresh grave, watching the coffin get lowered into the ground.
Lily's face is withdrawn. Not overwrought... but utterly drained. She stares, then drops a flower on the casket.
Sam gives her a supportive hug.
is filled with boxes. Sam and Lilv are
The grubby office i ¥ Silently packing up Mike's belongings.
There are hundreds of books. Cameras. A sound meter. A chipped Edgar Allien Poe award. Lily sighs.
Sam closes 4a box.
SAM
No, T'm sorry. If -- Iw to be funny.
(genuine) What I meant was -- he went out like one of his characters.
(he sighs)
It's just a shame he won't be aroun
to write about it.
te i ms ra ct hy te jo ae Ww
£ Lily, Mike and Gracie in
On the desk is a cute framed PHOTO 1 n % t for herself.
happier times. Lily stares, then
A bustling New York street. Sam shuffles up, looking a bit weathered. He enters a gleaming office building.
Sam enters his office, in a haze. His Secretary looks up. SECRETARY How was the trip?
x
Ti was a funeral.
Sam goes to an overflowing INBOX on her desk, piled with mail. He grabs the mail and drifts aimlessly away.
He flips through the papers. Publishers Weekly... catalogs... New York Review of Books. Sam goes into his office --
and wades to t o manila envelope ~~ and freezes.
ANGLE - SAM
He gapes in disbelief. A moment of dislocation... struggling to process what this means... then he kicks the door shut.
pes pet ho a
Shaking, Sam sits at his desk. He stares at the package, then slowly, with utmost care, unseals the flap. He tremblingly reaches inside... and pulls out Mike's completed pages.
Sam gasps, overcome, and drops th pile of laser-printed pages, cris age is simple:
em. We SLOWLY PUSH IN TO the p and elegant. The cover
"1408"
by Mike Enslin