The Film That Lit My Fuse is a Deadline video series that aims to provide an antidote to headlines about industry uncertainty by swinging the conversation back to the creative ambitions, formative influences and inspirations of some of today’s great screen artists.
Today’s subject is Christopher Landon, who wrote and directed the David Harbour-Anthony Mackie starrer We Have a Ghost, which premieres today on Netflix. Landon grew up in the shadow of his late dad, Michael Landon, the star of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven and who himself was an accomplished director. As he discusses here in Fuse, Christopher Landon tried to find his way out of that long shadow by focusing on genre filmmaking. He has had great success writing films that include the hit Disturbia and five Paranormal Activity sequels — directing one of them, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. He followed by directing Happy Death Day and its sequel, as well as Freaky.
Here he discusses how he got his mojo and how he learned to stop trying to outrun his association with his famous father and to accept the good things from their relationship. After all, he’s fortunate to have inherited dad’s good looks, and his eye behind the camera.
