Christopher Landon Talks ‘We Have A Ghost,’ Why ‘Happy Death Day 3’ Isn’t Happening, ‘Arachnophobia’ & More [The Playlist Podcast]

In a world filled with a ton of low-budget horror films, Christopher Landon has already carved out his own niche and separated himself from the pack. With films like “Happy Death Day,” its sequel, and more recently, “Freaky,” Landon has shown himself to be a different breed of horror filmmaker, not scared of mixing comedy and heart with his vicious kills. Well, he’s going even a step further with his new film, “We Have a Ghost,” where he’s embracing the comedy and heart even more with his family-friendly horror film about a poor soul stuck haunting a house. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Landon discusses his new film and his neverending love of the horror genre, in all of its various forms. 

“We Have a Ghost” tells the story of a family who moves into a haunted house. However, the ghost they find in their home isn’t some vengeful spirit. The ghost’s name is Ernest, and he’s just trying to figure out how he died. So, with the help of some teens, Ernest goes on a journey to find out what happened, all while trying to escape the clutches of the government, as they just want to study the anomaly. If you’re getting strong “E.T.” vibes from that description, you’re not wrong. The film very much feels like an Amblin film ripped from the ‘80s. 

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Landon is probably best known as the writer and director of a number of horror films, including the popular “Happy Death Day” franchise and “Freaky.” He’s known for blending horror with healthy doses of comedy. And in our interview, we discuss quite a bit about his filmmaking style, especially considering how “We Have a Ghost” seems to push the horror aspect even further on the backburner in favor of comedy and adventure. 

“I always tell people, the main ingredient when you’re trying to mesh genres is relatable characters. Characters you really want to go on a journey with, who you will travel through different genres with,” Landon said about mixing horror with comedy. “And it’ll feel consistent. Obviously, the secret sauce, or the not-so-secret sauce, is the actor. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with wonderful actors throughout most of my career. So, that helps a lot…I really believe that audiences will go anywhere with you, as long as you’re honest and as long as you’re entertaining them. So, that’s what I try to do.”

We also talk about Landon’s social media presence, which if you’re not following him on Twitter, you absolutely should. He loves to give his opinion about the state of Hollywood. Whether it’s terrible movie posters, nepo baby arguments, and streaming versus theatrical. And it’s that latter subject that found Landon making headlines. A little over a year ago, Landon went on Twitter to talk about how he hated the idea of studios releasing films in theaters and on streaming at the exact same time. And now, we’re seeing studios retreat from that strategy and trying to fully embrace theatrical, which the filmmaker sees as a win.

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“If there’s any takeaway, it’s that I’m beyond thrilled that audiences still want to go to movie theaters because the movie theaters have always been my church,” he said. “I think there was this fear that we were never going to get back to that. And it was heartbreaking for filmmakers and film lovers. And when we felt the business shift away from that, it was scary. For me, it’s very heartening to see that system thriving and people are recognizing it’s still a wonderful financial opportunity. And that it’s worth saving.”

And of course, I wouldn’t be a fan of Landon’s work if I didn’t ask him about the possibility of a third “Happy Death Day” movie. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that a third “Happy Death Day” film is coming anytime soon.

“No! [Laughs]” Landon replied when asked if a third film is coming. “The first movie was a big success. The second movie was not. By the way, the second movie did fine, but it didn’t equal the success of the first film. In fairness to the studio, it’s hard to get excited about a movie where you’re seeing diminishing returns… It’s a bummer because I have a really fun idea for the third movie, and I know the whole cast was onboard. I know Jason Blum was super excited, he loved the idea… It’s a tough one. Who knows, though?”

He added, “What’s great about the idea is that I could do it anytime. It’s not dependent on those previous two films on a timeline side of things. But we’ll see what happens. You never know.”

One film that he’s working on that seems to be getting ready to go into production is the remake of “Arachnophobia.”

“I’m working hard on [‘Arachnophobia’],” he teased. “I feel that we are super, super close. Really, really close. Close to the point where we will shoot it. And I’m beyond excited… Fingers crossed, I should be shooting that film this year.”

Before that, you can watch “We Have a Ghost,” which is on Netflix now. You can hear our full discussion below:

The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Bingeworthy, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, and The Discourse. We can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the Spotify embed within the article or click on the lead image at the top page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast and our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.