15 Greatest Stephen King Short Stories Of All Time

15. 1408

1408 tells the story of supernatural skeptic Mike Enslin. Enslin writes hugely successful books about his experiences in supposedly "haunted" hotels across the United States, though he himself is a firm believer that ghosts and the like are not real.

His latest project takes him to the Dolphin Hotel in New York, where the infamous room 1408 has been left vacant by hotel manager Mr Olin because of the sheer number of suicides and bizarre deaths that have occurred there. Despite Olin's protests, Enslin gets his wish and prepares to spend the night in the room. But behind closed doors, strange and deeply unsettling things start happening, causing the writer to not only question his skepticism, but his sanity.

1408 is a quick, violent and shocking short story, in which King's powers are on full display. His drawing of Mike Enslin is so meticulous and subtle, it ropes you in and leaves you questioning the existence of ghosts with him, making the events in the room all the most sudden and unexpected, right up until its harsh and hopeless conclusion.