Dean Fisher

Dean Fisher’s got this knack for cranking out films that stick in your brain, even if you wish you could scrub some of the visuals from Grandpa: The Horror out of your memory. That 2020 flick? It’s a fever dream—think family drama that blows up into pure nightmare fuel, with Grandpa turning out to be way more than just a cranky old man in a rocking chair. People went in expecting a typical haunted-house ride and got blindsided by something way grimier, way more psychological. Then there’s Lucky Dog (2013), a total 180 in tone. Fisher flexes his softer side here—sort of? It’s a story about redemption tied up with a dog’s loyalty, but don’t expect a Hallmark movie. The characters are messy, complicated, and you get this feeling he’s poking fun at the idea of second chances even as he’s exploring them. The humor’s a little rough around the edges, but it lands, especially if you like your comedy with a touch of cynicism. Rescue Heroes (2019) rounds it out, showing Fisher can actually handle action without everything going off the rails. It’s got these big set pieces—think explosions, chaos, but also this underlying sense of real stakes, not just popcorn fluff. The characters don’t feel like cardboard cutouts, and there’s a bit of an edge to the story, like he’s quietly making fun of the whole hero-worship thing. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill director—Fisher’s stuff isn’t afraid to get weird, or emotional, or just downright strange.