1408 (2-Disc Special Edition) (DVD)

This is what it means to make a special edition. Dimension Films and Genius Products got together and decided to put together what every home video studio should look at and attempt to duplicate. Do you want the unrated cut of 1408 or do you want the theatrical edition? What, you aren't sure which one you want? Well lucky for you Dimension doesn't force you to decide as this 2-Disc DVD set includes both. Already hailed as one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King story 1408 is certainly a creepy ride, and it was just as fun to find out that the alternate cut, which also includes an alternate ending, was just as creepy and cool.

1408 tells the story of haunted places debunker Mike Enslin (John Cusack) as he scours the world for a truly haunted location. Mike has dedicated his life to writing about his experiences in all of these supposedly haunted places, but he is yet to find himself face-to-face with a specter of any sort. Of course, that is all about to change as he receives an invitation "not" to stay at New York's Dolphin Hotel in room 1408. This is not a film of major jump-out-of-your-seat scares, even though they are there. It is also not a gruesome gore fest. 1408 is a cool little creep fest.

One of the things I really liked about this film was the very creepy, yet subtle, ending and I was a bit skeptical when I saw that the alternate cut on the second disc had an alternate ending. Well folks, the new ending pulls a complete 180 compared to the original and yet it still offers up some creepy moments of its own using a similar tactic and a good old fashioned jump scare.

As for the special features, is one comes with the theatrical version of the film along with a couple of webisodes. Basically disc one is everything you have already seen. Disc two is the new stuff, offering up the unrated version of the film, which on top of the ending I already mentioned also includes a couple of additional scenes you are sure to enjoy. Some are actually a little gorier and might have earned this film an R-rating even though it would have definitely been a soft R.

Along with the new cut is an audio commentary with director Mikael Håfström and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. These three offer up a great commentary pointing out everything that is new, why they did this and why they did that. One of the more interesting things are the comments made by Alexander and Karaszewski who were not the first writers on the project. Actually Matt Greenberg (Reign of Fire) penned the first draft and both writers are quick to credit Matt where they didn't deviate from his script as well as point out the reasons behind why they did change something he had written. It really is interesting to hear about the making of a movie from that perspective. The audio commentary also offers up a few secrets about the film, such as a deleted scene in which we learn who sent Enslin the postcard. Think you have a guess at who it is?

The rest of the disc includes a few making-of featurettes including a look at the casting and the effects and then a group of deleted scenes. You also get a collection of five 14o8 postcards, but the biggest bonus features remain the unrated cut and the audio commentary.

Lately there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of scary films, it was nice to have 1408 come along and offer up a satisfying alternative to the torture porn and watered down PG-13 thrillers we have suffered through lately. I am happy to see a studio give people a chance to buy both the unrated and theatrical version of a film in one 2-disc collection as opposed to having to decide between the two. It can't cost more than an additional 15 cents at most to press a second DVD anyway.