Next Thursday John Landis’ Fear Itself episode, “In Sickness and in Health”, will air on NBC and to get inside the project SpookyDan jumped on a call with the legendary director to talk about that and his forthcoming feature film project, Ghoulishly Yours, William M. Gaines. Read on for the skinny.
A staple of the horror universe, and comedies alike Landis has carved out his own niche of horror. Next week Landis directs the episode of Fear Itself that has been getting a bit of good buzz. Written by Victor (“Jeepers Creepers”) Salva; “In Sickness and in Health” tells the story of a beautiful bride (Maggie Lawson, “Psych”), who on her wedding day receives a mysterious note that reads: “The person you are marrying is a serial killer.” Landis and Lawson spoke about the experiences on set and the differences between Fear Itself and Psyche, compared to feature films. Landis: Directors just like actors are typecast, and because I have done some successful comedies they keep coming to me. As a filmmaker, I can do any genre; I think it is kind of amusing that I am Master of Horror now. I never understood Jason or Michael Meyers just walking around. I mean hello?!? I directed two episodes of Psyche, and it makes me crazy because actress Maggie Lawson is underused, she is just terrific. I went to the studio to pitch Maggie Lawson because she was so good on the Psyche show! Maggie is able to bring a level of reality to the show. We shot in Edmonton, which is a largely catholic area, and we were not allowed to shoot in a catholic church, we had to cobble the church together. We brought it all in and it turned out beautifully. ”

Landis continued about his episode and the challenges of working on network TV. “The screenplay by Victor Salva is not what you expect, its much more of a throwback, its more of a woman’s picture. Interestingly enough, this episode is more of a character piece. The violence is really off screen. It’s about doubt and uncertainty, and suspicion. Do we really know this person? Because it’s an individual anthology show, I did have to fight a bit with the executive producers to get my way, because it’s my name on the line. On a series, you do not often get a chance to do different things. I made some minor changes to the script, but it’s pretty much Victors Script. The upshot of working in television, is getting to tell the whole of the characters story, the way it develops over time.”

Maggie Lawson plays the bride to be, she told us about the episode further. “It’s more about the unknown, I think that is scarier. Not knowing what you are up against. John has a way of making it as realistic as possible. There was some very creepy nights that John had us in? The locations were fantastic; John has a way of setting the tone. It did not feel like a TV show, it felt more like a film and was really exciting, to have something so character based. I would do horror any day that John Landis is directing it. Its interesting, when you have to put yourself in the characters shoes, and then be scare. Bringing a level of reality to it is what makes it work. Its hard to make a believable scary picture.”

Coming up for Landis is the previously announced John Landis will direct GHOULISHLY YOURS, WILLIAM M. GAINES, a biopic based on the life of the publisher of EC Comics and Mad magazine. on an anti-establishment group of artists and writers, led by a reluctant Gaines and cohort Al Feldstein, as they produce their comic books. At the peak of his success, Gaines became a First Amendment figurehead due to his unapologetic testimony before a Senate subcommittee investigating juvenile delinquency. Landis is developing the project with Joel Eisenberg, who’s also penning the screenplay.

“There are lots of movies lined up and none ready to go. The hardest part is getting the money. I could make another horror or comedy, but I don’t want to. I am involved in this one its being written, but its not quite ready to go, it is happening, but not quite yet. There is an off Broadway show called BATBOY I am attached to it to make it into a movie, it’s a classic with rock and opera like Beauty and the Beast and Dracula, other than that I don’t have any horror movies lying around.”

“In Sickness and in Health” airs June 26th on NBC
directed by John Landis (“An American Werewolf in London”)
written by Victor Salva (“Jeepers Creepers”).
James Roday (“Psych”) stars as the groom. Christie Laing (“The 4400”), Sonja Bennett (“Eureka”) and Marshall Bell (“Hamlet 2,” “Tales from the Crypt”) also star.