1408 makes the best out of its limited hotel room setting, which begs an intriguing question: how much of it was filmed in real locations, and how much of it was artificially created on a soundstage? Based on a short story of the same name, 1408 ranks among some of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s works. Although it never reached the mainstream success of other renowned King adaptations like The Shining and Carrie, it has garnered a cult following since its release.
For the most part of its runtime, 1408‘s overarching storyline is confined to a hotel room setting. However, many of its opening scenes feature several outdoor locations, evoking one’s curiosity about where its filming took place. Since 1408‘s mise-en-scène and its filming style played a crucial role in elevating its chills and thrills, here is a detailed explanation of all the locations where its filming took place.
Roosevelt Hotel, Manhattan, New York
The central hotel in 1408 is named The Dolphin, located on Lexington Avenue in New York. However, as convincing and realistic as the movie’s portrayal of the hotel may seem, it is not real. The filmmakers behind 1408 used several different locations from around the world to depict different parts of the hotel. For instance, what appears to be the exterior of The Dolphin in 1408 is the area surrounding Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel. Named after U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the hotel was closed in December 2020, primarily due to losses from the pandemic, after being open since 1924.
Owing to the hotel’s historical significance and scintillating architecture, many other films have been shot in and around it. While the hotel’s bar was featured in Mad Men’s season 1, episode 8, its ballroom was also used for filming a scene from the 1987 movie, Wall Street. Man On a Ledge was also filmed entirely on the roof of the same hotel, and reality TV show, The Bachelor, also had its filming location set there. Apart from these, several other Hollywood films like French Connection, Malcolm X, Maid in Manhattan, Monday Night Mayhem, and Boiler Room have also been shot at the Roosevelt Hotel.
The Reform Club, London, UK
While the scenes depicting the exteriors of The Dolphin in 1408 were filmed around the Roosevelt Hotel, the hotel’s initial lobby scene was filmed in London’s Reform Club. Located on the south side of Pall Mall, the club has a classic Victorian interior that offers the perfect aesthetic for 1408‘s opening arc, where John Cusack’s Mike Enslin first encounters Samuel L. Jackson’s Gerald Olin. Considering the picturesque interiors of the private members’ club, it is not surprising that it has also been used for filming several other big-budget films like The Avengers, Quantum of Solace, Tenet, and Sherlock Holmes.
Hermosa Beach, California, US
Before Mike heads to New York to check into The Dolphin’s room no. 1408, the movie features scenes filmed in the South Bay region of Los Angeles. In one of these initial scenes from 1408, Mike nearly drowns to death on a beach before being rescued by a surfer. This scene is instrumental to one of the biggest plot twists in the film and was shot at California’s Hermosa Beach. Both the Hermosa Beach Pier and the Manhattan Beach Pier can be spotted in the backdrop of several early moments in the film. In 1408‘s opening arc, Mike also drives down a loopy road before parking his car in a beach parking lot.
This road is located at the west end of 45th Street and runs between the border that separates Manhattan Beach and Dockweiler Beach. In other scenes from the beach, 1408 also features shots of the lifeguard towers and the rocky barrier of the El Porto region of Manhattan Beach. California’s El Segundo Power Plant is also visible in the background in the scene where Mike almost drowns and lies unconscious on the beach.
Hermosa Beach Post Office & Scotty’s on the Strand, Hermosa Beach, California, US
One of the pivotal moments in 1408 is when Mike believes he has escaped the room and writes a novel about it. However, right after he goes to a nearby post office to submit his first draft to a publication, the post office morphs into the room, revealing that he never escaped at all. The US post office depicted in this scene is the Hermosa Beach Post Office, located at 565 Pier Avenue, in Hermosa Beach.
Other walking through several locations on Hermosa Beach and featuring its post office, 1408 also gives a glimpse of the Hermosa Pier Plaza and dive bar called The Lighthouse. In 1408‘s opening arc, Mike goes through his mail in a coffee shop and notices a postcard that warns him not to visit Dolphin Hotel’s Room no. 1408. According to reports (via Seeing Stars), the restaurant featured in this scene is Scotty’s on the Strand, located at Hermosa Beach’s 1100 The Strand.
Underwater Stage, Pinewood Studios
The titular hotel room’s interiors in 1408 were created on Pinewood Studios. As revealed in the movie’s behind-the-scenes footage (via
FilmIsNow Movie Bloopers & Extras on YouTube), an underwater stage was also used for filming the scene where the painting of a ship bursts open in Mike’s room and fills it up with water. The filmmakers and crew behind 1408 also made several other provisions to enhance the impact of the terrors experienced by Mike and make his terrifying hotel room misadventures more believable.
Sources: Seeing Stars, FilmIsNow Movie Bloopers & Extras on YouTube
