Michael Landon’s son got the directing bug watching dad on the ‘Little House’ set

Christopher Landon was born in 1975, a few months after his dad launched “Little House on the Prairie.” Michael Landon, whose other TV credits include “Bonanza” and “Highway to Heaven,” died when Christopher was 16, but they had enough time to bond over their love for TV and films.

Landon, 50, is in the midst of a successful career behind the camera, contributing to scripts for “Disturbia” and the “Paranormal Activity” franchise, as well as directing horror films like “”Happy Death Day” and “Freaky.”

His latest, “Drop,” now in theaters, leans more on suspense than slashing. Meghann Fahy stars as a widowed mother whose date at a high-rise restaurant takes a dark turn when she’s blackmailed by cellphone.

Landon spoke while driving in Santa Barbara last month about the new direction in his career, growing up on the “Little House” set and why his dad would have loved his movies.

Q: Is this film a bit of a departure for you?

A: Weirdly, it’s a little bit of a return. I wrote “Disturbia” a long time ago, which was very much a love letter to “Rear Window.”

Q: Like “Rear Window,” it’s contained mostly to one location. What are the advantages and challenges to that approach?

A: I found more advantages than disadvantages. For one thing, we got to build this big, beautiful set, a 12,000-square-foot restaurant. Creatively, you have so much more control and I was able to do things I’m not normally able to do. We got to shoot pretty much in sequential order, which is a huge advantage for the actors because they could track emotionally where they were. I was a kid in a candy store.

Q: You mentioned “Rear Window.” What other films served as inspirations?

A: “Rope” is another Hitchcock one. I’m also a die-hard Wes Craven fan and I loved “Red Eye.” I saw it three times in the theater.

Q: So many old films don’t work as well anymore because you can always use your cellphone to get help. But you flipped it.

A: Yeah, in this one, the phone is the enemy. It’s no longer a lifeline. I think that’s the subversion I was really drawn to. And also, just the plight of a woman trying to have a nice date, which is hard to do the first place. And then you’re at the mercy of a person you cannot see. I love the spinning-plates aspect of the story. I was very, very lucky to get Meghann. I think people are about to discover her.

Q: You directed Zoe Saldaña in “Burning Palms” back in 2010. What was your reaction to her Oscar win?

A: There’s no person who deserves it more than Zoe. She’s a wonderful human being, a kind friend, an amazing mother. Our kids actually go to the same school. I don’t think it was a secret in Hollywood, how great she is. I think it’s just always timing and the right role.

Q: Minnesotans know your dad starred in “Little House.” But they might not know that he directed and wrote a lot of the episodes. You were so young then, but do you have any memories of it?

A: Oh, yeah. We loved to visit set. There was a running joke in my family that if you wanted something from Dad, you would ask him on set because he was so happy at work.

Q: Do you have memories of the way he directed that you now recognize in your own approach?

A: He was always in control, he always knew what he wanted. But he wasn’t a bully about it. He never yelled or got upset. He was open to other people’s ideas. You have to remove part of your ego.

Q: What would he think of the films you’ve been making?

A: He would love them. When I was a kid, we were obsessed with horror movies. Every weekend we watched them. He got his start with “I Was a Teenage Werewolf.” He wished he could make more of them, but he acknowledged that he had a brand, he was in a box. In a funny way, my career has been an alter ego that he wanted and couldn’t have.

Q: He died when you were a teenager. Were you able to talk to him about coming out as gay?

A: Oh, not at all. I was too young. I hadn’t figured that stuff out yet when he passed.

Q: What do you think about Netflix’s plan to reboot “Little House”?

A: I’m not one of those people who is slavishly protective of one version of something. But it’s a high bar. My dad did it really, really well. These things are lightning in a bottle. It’s hard to recapture, but I’m rooting for them.

Q: Have your kids watched “Little House”?

A: They are 5 and 8. The oldest might just be at the age to start watching it. We talk about my dad all the time. They actually did see “Werewolf” because they know that’s my jam. They were scared, but they were really into it, especially the transformation part.

Q: Would you ever want to do something that has the tone of what your dad did on TV?

A: I’m open to everything. I made “We Have a Ghost” that got labeled as a horror comedy. But it was really more of a family adventure. I was definitely treading into my dad’s lane, but in my way with my own voice.

Q: Have you ever visited Walnut Grove [the setting for “Little House”]?

A: I have not. I’m overdue for a visit.