Interview: Matthew Lillard & Find Familiar Spirits Honor Horror Fans with MACABRE SPIRITS Tequila

During the month of October, it’s fairly common for people to talk about spirits. After all, ghosts and demons and the like have become staples of the Halloween season. But for Scooby-Doo, Thirteen Ghosts, and Scream star Matthew Lillard, his latest project deals with a very different kind of spirit: The alcoholic kind.

Lillard joined forces with screenwriter and producer Justin Ware to start Find Familiar Spirits in 2022. Named after a famous Dungeons & Dragons spell, the alcohol brand is dedicated to crafting spirits with the same authenticity and kinship found in fandom. Their first line of products was dubbed Queen’s End Whiskey in honor of fantasy tabletop gaming. But now, in an ode to the horror community, the company has launched Macabre Spirits, which features a series of tequilas that celebrate the genre that the actor has become so entrenched in throughout his career.

While promoting this new line of liquor at New York Comic Con (where he saw Shaggy and Ghostface cosplayers walk by during our interview), Lillard spoke with Daily Dead about the secrets behind Macabre and the various factors that set it apart from other brands. He shared the origins of their tequila, its deep connections to thrilling storytelling, and the potential future releases of Find Familiar Spirits. Plus, through the lens of some of his other iconic movies, we also discover how the fans continue to be a driving force in his career.

What is it about tequila that makes it the perfect spirit for your horror-inspired liquor?

Matthew Lillard: There is an artisanal aspect to tequila that's really lovely and I think it speaks to what we're trying to do as a brand, which is to create high-end spirit experiences and pair them with authentic community experiences.

What was the process like to find the perfect tequila that really embodied Macabre Spirits?

Matthew Lillard: We worked with a company out of Mexico that helped be boots on the ground. Tequila is my drink of choice, so I gave them a series of brands that I really respond to as “connoisseur of tequila.” They then went to multiple distilleries in Jalisco and provided samples to us. We finally found one that was really rich and artisanal that had a lot of earthy notes, and we built around that.

This first one is a reposado. We're not really sure what the next version is. We could be doing an añejo. We could end up doing a mezcal. It is yet to be fully determined, but we're excited to experience different iterations of the agave over the run of Macabre.

Another aspect of your brand Find Familiar Spirits is the integration of story. For Macabre Spirits, you've collaborated with Mike Flanagan, who created an all-new novella titled Rare, Fine, & Limited that accompanies the tequila. How did this partnership come to be?

Matthew Lillard: He and I, in a very Hollywood sort of way, had a mutual friend. The three of us got together for lunch. That does happen in Hollywood a lot. What doesn't happen in Hollywood a lot is you sit there for three hours as sort of newly found kindred spirits. We got along great and, at the end of the lunch, he said, “Someday I hope to work with you.” I'm like, “You don’t have to ask twice. I'm in!”

About a year later, he called me and said, “I've got this small movie. This adaptation of a Stephen King novella. I would love for you to play this small part. It's small. This is not indicative of what I think of you as an actor.” And I just jumped. I said yes. He didn't have to show me. I'm happy to be a part of the world. And whether it's this or the next one, why not start now and see how it goes? The Life of Chuck just won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The last 12 films that have won that award have gone on to be nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture. We're all really super proud of the movie. Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill… I mean, there's an incredible cast of actors in it. And although I play a small part. I’m very proud of the work.

Mike and I became buddies and I said, “I'm launching Macabre Spirits. We need somebody to write a short story. Would you be interested?" Mike is sober, so I was a little sheepish about asking him. But to his credit, he jumped in and embraced the challenge. He had never written a short story before. What was supposed to be a 15,000-word assignment ended up becoming just under 80,000 words. It's an incredible story. It's terrifying. It's really effed up, as you would want and expect from Mike Flanagan. We're really thrilled to unleash that on the world.

In addition to horror, comedy has also played a huge role in your career. But a number of comedic storytellers like Bill Hader, Jordan Peele, and Mark Duplass have also found themselves doing horror as well. As an actor, is there anything that you do differently to prepare for a comedic role versus something more scary?

Matthew Lillard: I don't think you do anything different, frankly. I think like everyone you just mentioned, we’re all actors whether you apply us to a horror film or a sci-fi film or a rom-com. It's the same principle: Attack with honesty and vigor. Be the best you can possibly be in the moment. There are some of us that are inclined to find humor in the darkest of moments. And so if you have a filmmaker like Wes Craven who seeks that sort of flavor, then he found the right actor, so I don't think you approach it any different.

Before the Macabre Spirits Tequila, Find Familiar Spirits’ first release was the fantasy-inspired Quest’s End Whiskey. Have you given any thought to what kind of alcohol you would pair with the rom-com/coming-of-age/teen movies in your filmography, such as the iconic She's All That? 

Matthew Lillard: Yes! A non-alcoholic spirit, without a doubt. We are actively exploring it now.

Oh, I love that! But how would your choice differ if it were to focus on a very different coming-of-age tale such as SLC Punk? 

Matthew Lillard: For sure! That would be something dank and really, really hoppy. Probably really gnarly and bitter-tasting, so every time it gets in your mouth, it throws a little punk rock party.

Speaking of SLC Punk, the 1998 film is one of my favorite movies of all time. I find myself rewatching it during major milestones of my life as a reminder of where I've been. I often revisit it to remember when I felt like Steveo or Bob or any of these characters really. At this stage in your life, what are some lessons that you still carry with you from SLC Punk? 

Matthew Lillard: Oh, I love that! First of all, thank you for saying that. I have found over the years that the movie still has relevance for people. I love that the movie made for outsiders is still finding its way to those kindred spirits. Thank you for celebrating it.

To me, “I didn't sell out, I bought in” is a really great quote that, as you get older, you understand more deeply. I identify with this idea of fighting from the inside. I think Find Familiar Spirits was built on this idea of I'm not going to wait for Hollywood to give me a job. Justin Ware, who’s my business partner, is also a screenwriter. Waiting for someone to give you permission to do what you love most is really a brutal way to live a life. But the do-it-yourself ethos behind punk rock music where you just gather together and put on a show, that's kind of what we're doing. We're doing that as a company that's finding a rich success, building shit outside of the norm, and building it for these little punk rock communities. Macabre Spirits is a love letter to horror fans everywhere. It's not just about selling to them, it's about giving them something back. And you know, we can sell a $99 bottle of tequila and just let that be it. But what we're trying to do is add value and give back to people who love scary things.

You’ve taken on so many roles in your career, but the character of Shaggy Rogers from Scooby-Doo is beloved by generations of fans. During this interview, you mentioned a Shaggy cosplayer walking by you at New York Comic Con. That’s just one example of how the Mystery Inc. gang connects people with their children, their children's children, and so on. What does it mean to you to be the steward of such a cherished character? 

Matthew Lillard: The reality is that it's humbling. It's not something you ever expect or want or seek. You don't go off and do a movie like Scream and expect it to have any sort of relevance ten years later, let alone nearly 30 years later. So when things like that happen or when something like Shaggy happens and it becomes an iconic film for multiple generations of kids, there's nothing to do but appreciate how lucky you are that you made something that had an impact on people. At the end of the day, I love my job. I adore being an actor. And the fact that here I am 30 years after I started the journey and we're still talking about things that I did in a way that people still respect is nothing but a gift. It’s an absolute privilege.

Based on our conversation, one of the biggest takeaways is that you love giving back to your fans. But I’m curious: What are you a big fan of right now? 

Matthew Lillard: Dungeons & Dragons to me is the best way, the greatest way to spend my life. Beadle and Grimm’s, the company I built with four of my best friends, is one of the great joys of my life. We still do Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill! I mean, we're still playing the game. We did 20 episodes of television a few years ago. The older you get, the more you realize it's not about what you're doing, it's who you're doing it with. And so to spend time with those men around the table, that’s where my sweet spot is.

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While the bottles are scheduled to ship out in early 2025, you can preorder your very own bottle of Macabre Spirits tequila right now at macabrespirits.com