Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch

Episode: Matthew Lillard: From Wes Craven to Five Nights At Freddy’s

Host: Rachel Dratch
Co-host: Irene Bremis
Guest: Matthew Lillard
Release Date: December 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode welcomes beloved actor Matthew Lillard for a wide-ranging, lively conversation. While ostensibly promoting his return in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, the chat dives deep into the intersection of horror and comedy in film, the psychological underpinnings of being funny, the realities of life as a working actor, and several “woo woo” (unexplained) experiences—ranging from tarot card readings to Dungeons & Dragons fandom, and stories of psychic mediums. With plenty of humor, candor, and camaraderie, the episode will especially resonate with fans of genre movies, fellow “nerds,” and those curious about the ups and downs of creative careers.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Matthew Lillard’s Career in Horror and Comedy

[02:22–05:12]

• Matthew reflects on his legacy in “scary” films, including Scream, 13 Ghosts, and the Scooby Doo franchise.
• He credits comic relief in horror as essential, referencing Bill Paxton’s iconic humor in Aliens.
  • Quote:
    “Comedy born out of really high emotional stakes, I think, is really rich. ... Like in Scream... you’re killing kids, but then at the same time you’re laughing because... ‘you hit me with the phone, dick!’”
    — Matthew Lillard [03:21]
• The hosts and Matthew discuss how both laughs and scares create strong, memorable audience reactions.
  • Quote:
    “Both of those genres make you feel things viscerally in the audience. ... There’s a physiological response and the same thing happens in horror.”
    — Matthew Lillard [05:52]

2. Origins of Humor: Defense Mechanisms and Family Influences

[09:16–11:54]

• Rachel asks Matthew how he got into acting and comedy.
• Matthew shares:
  • As an obese teenager with learning difficulties who relocated from Detroit to Orange County, humor was a survival tool:
    “You become funny because shit sometimes is hard as a teenager.” [09:33]
  • Making people laugh “manipulated” social situations to his benefit.
• Irene and Rachel relate similar formative experiences—tragedy birthing comedy, and growing up with a funny parent.
  • Quote:
    “I think I come from the school of tragedy births comedy ... it is a survival mechanism.”
    — Irene Bremis [10:27]

3. Imposter Syndrome and the Realities of Showbiz

[12:23–17:22]

• Matthew and Rachel get frank about creative anxiety and imposter syndrome.
• Rachel discusses SNL’s relentless pressure; Matthew describes the rollercoaster of an acting career, including financial struggles and “ebbs and flows.”
  • Quote:
    “You have these ebbs and flows in your career... you just don’t know if you’re ever gonna work again. ... The reality is always the opposite [of the glamorous perception].”
    — Matthew Lillard [16:02]

4. Dungeons & Dragons, Entrepreneurship, and Fandom-Based Businesses

[19:50–26:44]

• Matthew dives deep into his decades-long love of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D):
  • Still plays with the same group of friends from age 21 to 55!
• He co-founded Beadle & Grimm’s (luxury D&D goods) and Find Familiar Spirits—a high-end spirits business themed to fandoms, including D&D and horror.
  • Quote:
    “For me, I’ve been playing with the same guys since I was 21... we gather around a table and tell stories... some guys play poker... we play Dungeons and Dragons.”
    — Matthew Lillard [22:04]
  • Each spirit release is tied to a D&D class and story, creating a community experience.
    “If you build luxury goods for people in a niche community, that community will come out in droves and support it because you’re making them feel seen.”
    — Matthew Lillard [22:41]
• He emphasizes the joy and challenge of entrepreneurship as a creative between acting jobs.

5. Woo Woo Stories: Tarot, Psychics, and Mediums

[29:37–35:34]

• Rachel presses Matthew on his “woo woo” experiences.

• Matthew’s Tarot Card Story:

  • His wife’s psychic reading included a prediction that one of their children would “break her heart”—a comment that still deeply unsettles Matthew many years later.
  • The conversation explores how psychic predictions can “plant bad seeds" that linger.
    • Quote:
      “Does that mean they die? ... Does that mean they don’t call one Christmas?... The weird thing is it stuck with me to this day.”
      — Matthew Lillard [30:36]
  • Rachel relates her own experience with a vague prediction (“you’re meant to have a marriage and kids”) that haunted her until she eventually did have a child.
  • Irene sums up:
    “It’s seeding. It’s terrible. Then you build a narrative around that seed.” [32:41]

• Medium Encounters & Stories:

  • Matthew shares secondhand stories involving a medium (pseudonymously “Judy”) who helped friends connect with the dead, offering information only the seeker would know.
  • The group discusses skepticism versus belief, with Rachel voicing doubts about mentalists or TV mediums who “fish” for vague information.
  • Matthew brings up Oz Perlman, a mentalist impressing mainstream news anchors with eerily specific “mind-reading.”
    • Quote:
      “He went on CNN and sat with Anderson Cooper... ‘Why are you thinking about Barack Obama?’... Anderson Cooper’s like, ‘How did you do that?’ That’s impossible.”
      — Matthew Lillard [36:13]

6. Wes Craven Memories and Impact

[42:16–44:49]

• Irene asks for Wes Craven stories.
• Matthew speaks emotionally about Craven’s intelligence, warmth, and unlikely background as an ornithologist and theologian.
  • Quote:
    “He was such a beautiful, lovely man, an incredible filmmaker, deep, deep thinker... Some movies are transactional, but there’s people that make deep impact... and he was one of those men for me.”
    — Matthew Lillard [42:55]
• Matthew shares a story of Craven boosting his confidence by telling him (and his mother) he’d win an Academy Award—moments Matthew recalls during difficult times for encouragement.

7. The Pendulum Segment (“Penji”): The Light-Hearted Finale

[45:00–47:06]

• A regular show segment where the guest silently asks a yes/no question and Rachel and Irene “consult the pendulum.”
• Matthew humorously asks, “Will we soon end the scourge of ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] in America?”
  • Encourages using the moment for “altruistic” rather than personal concerns.
• The answer: YES
• Matthew prefaces the political statement with respect for differing views but affirms the seriousness of the issue.
  • “I don’t think what’s happening in America right now is reflective of what America’s about. ... Part of that is ICE.” [46:02]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You become funny because shit sometimes is hard as a teenager.”
  — Matthew Lillard [09:33]

• “When you get [horror-comedy] right, it’s incredible. ... When you sort of cheese out and try, you know, comedy’s hard.”
  — Matthew Lillard [04:55]

• “Even in all the success... there’s a real imposter syndrome.”
  — Matthew Lillard [15:35]

• “The reality of our lives is way more interesting than the perceived life that we live.”
  — Matthew Lillard [16:02]

• “We see people in their fandom and build something for them in the thing that they hold dear.”
  — Matthew Lillard [25:00]

• “I wish I did [have a crazy psychic experience]. I did have this thing where... I’m scared to talk about it because it really freaks me out.”
  — Matthew Lillard [29:49]

• “He gave me this... this beautiful story about Wes Craven and having deeper belief in me than I’ve had in myself.”
  — Matthew Lillard [44:17]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:22] – Discussion of Matthew’s horror-comedy career (Scream, 13 Ghosts, Scooby Doo)
• [09:16] – Why are comedians funny? Childhood and survival mechanisms
• [12:23] – The pressures of SNL and creative careers
• [16:02] – The real life of a working actor; struggles between jobs
• [19:50] – Dungeons & Dragons and entrepreneurship in fandoms
• [29:37] – Woo woo segment: Tarot and psychic reader stories
• [35:34] – Medium stories, skepticism, and the mentalist Oz Perlman
• [42:16] – Wes Craven memories and impact
• [45:00] – The Pendulum (“Penji”) segment: Matthew’s question
• [46:02] – Matthew’s political statement re: ICE

Tone and Takeaway

The episode is playful, candid, and emotionally resonant—a blend of comedy, sincerity, and affectionate nerdiness. The trio freely riffs about creativity, fear, ambition, self-doubt, and the often very “normal” reality behind perceived celebrity lives. The “woo woo” stories are both debunked and enjoyed, with plenty of warmth for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider or found kinship through laughter, fantasy, or spooky tales.

Recommended for: Fans of horror/comedy films, creators feeling imposter syndrome, D&D enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates honest, funny, thoughtful conversations.