10 Lesser Known Stephen King Villains

If the Overlook Hotel had a nasty little brother, it'd be room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel. The hotel room is just as dangerous, however. The former is located in a secluded valley in the Rocky Mountains; latter, in New York City. Its pool of potential victims is greatly diminished, however, thanks to hotel manager Mr. Olin, who has left the room vacant for 20 years, only allowing maids to enter, and even then only in pairs.

That changes when author and paranormal skeptic Mike Enslin learns of the room. To him, it's no doubt another tourist trap, and he's eventually granted the opportunity to spend the night in it after Olin's initial reluctance to do so. Then the torment begins.

It starts innocuously enough. The room's initial attacks on Enslin's mind initially consist of a crooked door that changes orientation, and a breakfast menu that changes language. The room eventually builds up to giving Enslin disturbing visions and aural hallucinations and even playing with the room's physics.

Enslin is eventually only able to escape after setting himself on fire, temporarily breaking the room's power over him. But he is left a broken man, resorting to leaving the lights on at night. You can check out, but you can never leave.