Director Christopher Landon has carved a name for himself in the world of horror so huge you’d think it was made with Ghost Face’s own kitchen knife. Now that his next project has been announced to be Scream 7, let’s take a look back at his filmography to see how his movies stack up.
Landon’s career is one that has only been improving year over year. For instance, his humble days as a Paranormal Activity franchise contributor paved the way for some truly innovative forays into the horror/comedy subgenre, such as Happy Death Day and Freaky.
Given Landon’s upward trajectory, we honestly could not be happier about the fact that he will be directing Scream 7. Though we enjoyed Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s previous two installments, we think Landon could do a bang-up job of topping off the modern trilogy they began with 2022’s Scream after departing from the most recent installment.
Let’s take a look back at Landon’s filmography, whether that is as a director or screenwriter, and rank them from worst to best to see just how far he has come.
10. We Have a Ghost (2023)
Despite boasting an impressive cast that includes Stranger Things’ David Harbour and Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s Anthony Mackie, Netflix’s We Have a Ghost did not leave much of a lasting impression. Though there are supernatural themes, the film strays away from the horror genre entirely, instead going for a family comedy about a teenager who finds a ghost in his new home.
9. Burning Palms (2010)
With its exploration of taboo subject matter, dark themes, and comedic pivots, Landon’s directorial debut Burning Palms is at least commendable for its ambition. However, the unrelatable characters and sheer strangeness of the five loosely connected stories set in L.A. didn’t quite add up to a cohesive and compelling whole.
8. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
Paranormal Activity 4 represents one of the more middling installments in the franchise at best and a redundant bore at worst. Though the movie has its defenders, its rehashed plot and baffling use of an Xbox Kinect make it a meme-worthy entry for many. With that said Landon is only a co-screenplay writer on this one. We will also give it some props for connecting to some unaddressed cliffhangers from Paranormal Activity 2.
7. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
Let’s face it, the Paranormal Activity franchise is not a critical darling, overall. Though it would be easy to chalk up 2014’s The Marked Ones as Landon leaving his involvement with the series on a whimper, it has still arguably managed to find a cult following. Weaving in murder-mystery elements into its plot, along with a main character trying to escape his fate as a demon’s next vessel, the film isn’t a complete failure overall, even if it is riddled with horror cliches. Divisive though it may be, dedicated fans of the franchise may actually find something to like in this film which marked Landon’s first effort directing a Paranormal Activity movie.
6. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
Paranormal Activity 2 is the rare horror sequel that mostly delivers on the promise of a worthy follow-up to the original, with Landon serving as co-screenplay writer once again. With a larger cast and some breathtaking moments that remain some of the most memorable in the franchise, audiences largely got behind the sequel, even if it did tread much of the same ground as the first movie and arguably offered fewer scares.
5. Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
Happy Death Day 2U does the seemingly impossible by being an entertaining sequel to a movie based on a time-loop plot, Groundhog’s Day style. With Landon as both director and co-screenplay writer, we see the continuation of Jessica Rothe’s sorority protagonist Tree Gelbman in a horror/comedy follow-up mostly worthy of the cleverness set up by the first film. With that said, the introduction of sci-fi elements to the movie makes the tone uneven and the plotting a bit convoluted compared to the first.
4. Freaky (2020)
Freaky is an unabashedly fun horror/comedy that proves the inventiveness of Landon’s Happy Death Day franchise was no fluke. I found myself mesmerized by the performance of Kathryn Newton as a normal teenage girl who is suddenly possessed by a serial killer that she’s swapped bodies with, Freaky Friday style. What’s more, Vince Vaughn as The Butcher — a killer who is suddenly possessed by a teenage girl — makes a wonderful return to form that speaks to his comedy roots as he becomes the actor we must root for in the movie.
3. Happy Death Day (2017)
Happy Death Day represents one of Landon’s most well-balanced films and arguably solidified his niche as a horror/comedy auteur. The inventive setup involving a college girl stuck in a time loop and tasked with solving her own murder did well to juggle the scares with a surprisingly warm rom-com tone. There is a reason Happy Death Day is beloved by horror fans to this day who badly want a threequel to top off the trilogy.
2. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
Considered an overlooked gem by many, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse has a vocal fanbase who sing the praises of the Landon-directed film. Featuring strong performances from its cast — which includes Tye Sheridan, Sarah Dumont, and David Koechner — the movie focuses on a group of scouts who must face a zombie apocalypse. Filled with plenty of laughs driven by both the dialogue and visual gags, it is a horror/comedy with a small but loyal fanbase that continues to grow.
1. Disturbia (2007)
Disturbia may not seem like much on the surface, but just like its suburban setting, there is something deeper going on here that shouldn’t be overlooked. While it may appear that the 2007 film with a screenplay co-written by Landon is merely a ripoff of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window, the film offers enough of a remix of the original premise, genuinely tense moments, and legitimate scares to make it worthy of seeking out in its own right. Sealing the deal for the film about a teenage boy under house arrest who suspects his neighbor is a serial killer are a pair of commanding performances from Shia LaBeouf at the top of his game and David Morse.
Published: Aug 4, 2023 09:27 am