Stephen King’s 2007 Psychological Horror Box Office Hit Is Now Free to Watch on YouTube

Published Oct 5, 2026, 2:53 PM EDT Sam Hill is a news writer at Polygon covering gaming and entertainment. He's a Portland, Oregon–based journalist known for covering gaming, the outdoors, national parks, tech, food, and internet culture. He has written for a range of publications including Outside Magazine, Boston Magazine, Vice, the Seattle Times and Digital Trends. John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson star in this creepy adaptation of one of King's most unsettling short stories Image: MGM Sign in to your Polygon.com account Stephen King has had an unusually strong track record when it comes to movie adaptations. From The Shining and Carrie to It and The Shawshank Redemption, his stories have produced everything from horror classics to some of the most beloved dramas of the past several decades. Not every King adaptation gets quite as much attention, though. One of the better-reviewed entries in his catalog is now available to watch without paying anything. 1408, the 2007 supernatural horror movie starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, is currently available to watch for free on YouTube. You can watch it right now without a subscription, though you'll have to sit through a few ads along the way. What is 1408 about? 1408 follows Mike Enslin (John Cusack), a skeptical author who makes a living investigating supposedly haunted locations and debunking paranormal claims. His latest target is Room 1408 at New York City's Dolphin Hotel, a room with a particularly nasty reputation. The hotel's manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson), strongly warns Mike against staying there, explaining that dozens of people have died in the room over the years. Mike ignores him and checks in anyway, convinced that the hotel's reputation is little more than an elaborate ghost story. Image: MGM Once he's inside, however, it becomes increasingly difficult for Mike to explain away what's happening. The room begins manipulating his perception and confronting him with terrifying visions, while memories of his family and the death of his daughter add a more personal dimension to the horror. The movie was also received fairly well by critics. 1408 currently holds an 80% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics particularly praising Cusack's performance and the movie's reliance on psychological tension rather than nonstop gore.