He madeJohn Belushispit mashed potatoes out of his mouth inAnimal House.
He crashed dozens of cars in Chicago for a musical pile up inThe Blues Brothers.
He unitedThe Three Amigos.
Image via TIFF
He helped change the make up effects industry forever inAn American Werewolf In London.
He blew upDon RicklesinInnocent Blood.
He letEddie Murphyplay half the cast ofComing To America.
Image via TIFF
HesJohn Landis, one of the greatest comedy filmmakers of his or any era.
Of course, its not just any music video that were talking about.
The thing was impossible to avoid in the 80s and now its back.
Image via TIFF
Unlikely, but no one has said anything yet.
JOHN LANDIS: Yeah, I explored it.
I guess it was around that early 80s revival of 3D whenFriday The 13th3DandJaws 3Dcame out.
Image via TIFF
LANDIS: I dont know.
I didnt choose to mainly because of the added expense at the time.
So it wasnt composed for 3D.
Image via Universal Pictures
LANDIS: No, no.
Well, there is a surprise in it now.
In fact, I didnt change it at all this time.
I just made it 3D.
And I dont think people understand what that entails.
The technology now to convert is remarkable.
You sit with the stereographer and they have software where you project every frame and decide whats where.
Its very time consuming.
But for the little elves?
Theres an amy of guys with styluses and they have to isolate everything.
LANDIS: So there was a shot where the camera passes by some trees and guess what?
The first tree has 186,000 leaves and they have to isolate them.
Plus, I didnt know this, theres some stuff where you have to generate new imagery.
Just so that its there in 3D.
A lot of that.
So what they do is computer generate whats in front of everyone in 3D.
Hopefully you dont notice because its just smoke.
Well, its very short but now he leans out.
I was happy to embrace it because I like 3D and I got to restore the negative.
Plus, there was a camera flare that always made me crazy, so I took it away.
So I guess 3D movies were something that you enjoyed growing up.
LANDIS: I loved them.
Did you have any favourites in particular?
LANDIS: OhCreature Of The Black Lagoon.
Have you ever seen a good print of that projected correctly?
LANDIS: Thats the best 3D movie ever made.
Its gorgeous!House Of Wax?
Did you see Wim Wenders 3D filmPina?
LANDIS: Yeah, the one about the dancers.
Wim used it perfectly.
I really enjoyed doing it.
Theres a shot of the moon inThrillerthat I took fromAn American Werewolf In London.
The thing that 3D really enhances is the dance number.
Its really cool in 3D.
Im assumingThe Making Of Thrillerwasnt converted to 3D.
LANDIS: No, obviously not.
But whats amazing aboutThe Making of Thrillernow its not what it was.
At the time it was a documentary that we made to financeThriller.We called itThe Making Of Filler.
Its before Wacko Jacko and all the weirdness.
Hes just joyous and happy.
You see all of his greatest performances in there.
What did you think of the video of the prisoners doing the Thriller dance?
Did you see the one in Mexico City?
I dont think so.
LANDIS: Its like 38,000 people doing the Thriller dance.
Look it up on Youtube.
To this day people do that dance at weddings and bar mitzvahs and every Halloween, of course.
Its so interesting to me because…do you know aboutThrill The World?
No one has topped Mexico City.
Was that ever discussed?
I mean, you saw that I include him big time on the marquee.
Why would you want an old white guy in the video?
LANDIS: Nah, we never bothered.
You must have known him though.
That sounds like you.
LANDIS: I did.
Do you have any good Vincent Price stories?
LANDIS: I do, but you cannot use it.
If you turn off the recorder, Ill tell you.
Now well jump back into the conversation later on in mid-stream.]
Its the best thing that Vincent Price ever did.
Perfect for him because hes playing this actor who is murdering his critics.
Its a genuinely great film and very funny.
Anyways, when he made that Coral Brown.
Do you know who she is?
LANDIS: Shes this fabulous British actress.
InTheater Of Bloodshes the one who he fries while dressed up as a butcher.
She was inAuntie Mame.
She was a massive stage star in London in the 20s.
So not a young woman and she was famously bisexual as was Vincent.
So they fell in love and had a torrid affair and they got married.
They moved to LA and Coral Brown lived very lavishly and Vincent had to support her.
Thats why Vincent took any job he was offered, commercials, anything.
He worked until his dying day.
He worked hard for Carol.
Then she got sick.
He took care of her for years and she died.
Isnt that a horrible story?
LANDIS: It was just a face.
Was it a mask?
LANDIS: Oh yeah, it was a mask that it put on.
In fact, he was inSchlock, my first movie.
John Chambers plays the national guard captain.
So I knew him when he was doing all that CIA stuff that they made that movieArgoabout.
John Goodman was very physically good to play John Chambers but nothing like him.
John was nothing like that.
But it is true and John did a lot of stuff for the CIA.
There are simple tricks that you’re able to do.
He showed me all sorts of things that he made for the CIA.
Ricks been asked many times if he also did work for the government and hes never said.
I dont know if he did.
First off all, he couldnt tell me if he did.
Ricks very happy now though, hes retired and doing his art.
Im glad hes doing well.
LANDIS: Thats not really true.
Theres always work for Rick Baker.
But CG is doing more and more.
Have you seen Guillermos new movie [The Shape Of Water]?
LANDIS: Ok, so thats a suit, but the eyes are CG and the fins.
you’ve got the option to now seamlessly do so much of that stuff.
I mean inIron Manmost of the time Robert Downey isnt even in that suit.
Its amazing what they do now.
Did Rick ever make up you up in anything other thanSchlock?
LANDIS: No, I never played a monster again and its just a horrible process to go through.
The demands on thatSchlockmake up were ridiculous.
It averaged 110 degrees while we were shooting, then the hottest summer in California history.
I lost 10 pounds a day, but I was 21 so it was fine.
Are you involved at all in theAmerican Werewolf In Londonremake that your son Max is writing?
LANDIS: I get money.
It must be a surreal situation for the two of you.
LANDIS: Truthfully, Ive not seen his script.
I advised him not to do it.
I think hes putting himself in a bad position.
My son is brilliant, he really is, and he wants to do it.
So what am I going to say?
I know it wont be as bad asAn American Werewolf In Paris, which was shit.
So, I dont know.
Hes a great writer.
Hes been writing since he was 7.
They were so funny.
LANDIS: I loved them.
Well first of all, Im a big fan of Edgar Wright.
Im a big fan ofShaun Of The Deadand I even lovedHot Fuzzas well.
His influences are obvious, but Edgars a great talent and Im very proud of him.
Hes a good person and hell make many more great movies.
Do you have anything that youre working on?
You know, Joe Dante and myself and a few other guys I know are in the same position.
Theyre not hiring people who have opinions.
They think, He knows what hes doing, Im not hiring him!
They keep firing guys.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, those guys are really talented.
Theyre really funny and original guys.
How many directors have they fired?
LANDIS: Its very worrying.
Remember when George Lucas said that he felt like he sold his kids into white slavery?
Well…
Have you read the script for Joe Dantes Roger Corman acid trip movie?
Im fascinated by that.
LANDIS: I havent, but Joe came up with my favourite Roger Corman cameo.
I think it was inThe Howling.
When he fishes the coins out of the phone booth?
I worked with Roger.
I had a line of dialogue and did a stunt in Paul Bartel movie calledDeath Race 2000.
This didnt come out of the budget.
Ill never forget it.
He doesnt swear, but otherwise thats true.
What stunt did you do inDeath Race 2000?
LANDIS: Did you ever see the movie?
There are two mechanics who push Machine Gun Joe Viterbos car.
Hed been in a fight the night before with David Carradine and he had a black eye.
Did you ever get injured doing all those stunts?
LANDIS: Ive only been injured once and I really wasnt injured.
I didnt break anything.
I dont remember what the movie was.
It was an Italian production with pirates and Telly Savalas was in it.
So we were all dressed as pirate on this ship.
We were all supposed to jump into the water screaming holding our swords.
I was with Alf Joint, a famous British stunt man.
I remember saying to him, This is too high.
He said, Dont worry about it.
Just go feet first and hold your breath.
I said, I think were like 60 feet in the air.
He said, Dont be an asshole.
So we do it.
We hit the water and it was like hitting concrete.
I wasnt hurt, but I was one big black and blue mark.
I couldnt move for days.
It didnt put you off doing more stunts though?
LANDIS: No, cause I was a schmuck.
I shouldnt have done it.
