“Scream” Star Matthew Lillard Finally Reveals His ‘Favorite Scary Movie’ (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereSun, February 22, 2026 at 10:30 PM UTC

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Matthew Lillard

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Matthew Lillard is grateful for his favorite scary movie, Scream

The actor tells PEOPLE that he could never have imagined the impact the movie would have on his career and life

"Nobody in our entire franchise from that first film thought we would be here 30 years later," he shares

Matthew Lillard is revealing his “favorite scary movie" — and the answer is obvious.

When asked about his favorite horror flick, the Scooby-Doo actor tells PEOPLE, “Scream, because it changed my life forever.”

The question was a nod to the opening scene of the 1996 film, when Ghostface asks Drew Barrymore's character, "What's your favorite scary movie?"

The line became a signature moment in the film, which went on to cement itself as one of the most successful slasher franchises of all time.

Lillard, who played Stu Macher in Scream, admits that “there's nobody in our entire franchise from that first film that thought we would be here 30 years later."

Matthew Lillard in 'Scream'

Dimension Films

The 56-year-old explains that, “at the time that the movie came out, Wes [Craven] hadn't had a hit in a little while. Slasher movies were sort of dead and gone for a moment."

Lillard starred in the original movie alongside Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Skeet Ulrich, to name a few.

“Frankly, it was two TV actresses in the days when TV actresses didn't cross over to do films. I was like, ‘Oh, this is a little horror movie. It'll be fun,'" he tells PEOPLE. "Little did I know in any capacity that A. it would change my life, and B. here we would be 30 years later still celebrating Ghostface in any way, shape or form.”

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In the three decades since the first movie came out, six more movies have been released, with Scream 7 coming out on Feb. 27, 2026. Looking back on 30 years of Scream, Lillard shares, “I feel like it's a benchmark.”

“So much of your life, you're just fighting to get your next job,” the She’s All That actor shares. “You're just climbing a ladder to find success, to do good work, to feed your kids. When you get to a benchmark like the 30th anniversary, you have to stop and assess how far you've come."

Matthew Lillard

Miramax Films

“I would say to that kid 30 years ago, ‘Hang in there, it's all going to work out for the best.’ Even in the darkest days, there are moments in my career I never thought I'd work again," he admits. "We see that in this career. We see that you have a moment of relevance and then it dissipates, and you're forced to ask the question of, 'Who are you and what are you going to do next?' "

"I asked those questions because I didn't know if I'd ever get a chance to come back,” he adds.

In addition to Scream 7, in recent years, Lillard has starred in the Five Nights At Freddy’s franchise, joined the cast of Mike Flanagan’s Carrie, landed a role in Daredevil: Born Again and signed on to Behemoth! with Pedro Pascal.

“I have had this moment that I'm in the middle of right now, which is this sort of renaissance for my career, and it's been really lovely," he tells PEOPLE. "It's just a moment to stop and reflect through thick or through thin, through good days and bad, how lucky I've been and how blessed I am in this career. The idea that I'm still an artist, I'm still an actor.”

Lillard also recently honored his Ghost Face legacy through Find Familiar Spirits, the company he co-founded, released a Ghost Face vodka in collaboration with the owners of Ghost Face, Fun World.The whole experience, he says is “humbling.”

“It is really amazing. We're a small team, and we took a long time to license from Fun World who've been incredible and fantastic partners. You roll a dice when you're creating something like this,” Lillard shares. “It’s building things that you're passionate about, that you love, and sharing passion for people that love the same thing really makes the work light and joyful.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”