‘Scream’ Star Matthew Lillard Launches Jamaican Rum Alongside Horror Writer

Matthew Lillard arrives on the red carpet of the 34th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party at West Hollywood Park in Hollywood, California, on March 15, 2026. (Photo: Connor Terry/Sipa USA via AP Images)

“Scream” and “Scooby-Doo” star Matthew Lillard is expanding his liquor empire with a Jamaican rum that pays tribute to horrors from the deep.

On Wednesday, Macabre Spirits unveiled Saltspray, a 90-proof rum sourced from the nearly three-century-old Hampden Distillery in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica. The brand has yet to disclose the age statement or production style of the liquid, though fans are told to expect flavors of island spice, honey, demerara and warm apple, followed by hints of tropical fruit and funk on the finish.

Like all releases from Macabre, Saltspray comes with a story — literally. This time around, Lillard has joined forces with Bram Stoker-nominated writer Gemma Amor, who wrote an original novella that will accompany each bottle of the rum. Best known for her works “Dear Laura” and “Itch!,” Amor frequently explores themes of body horror and psychological dread through a feminist lens. Cover art designed by Daniele Serra depicts a many-toothed monster emerging from beneath the sea, suggesting that Amor’s story will revolve in or around the murky depths.

(Photo: Macabre Spirits)

“We’ve wanted to do a rum for a while, but we hadn’t found the right story to inspire us,” Macabre Spirits co-founder Justin Ware remarked in a news release. “When Gemma pitched us the idea for Saltspray, we knew it was the perfect time to take the plunge. Inspired by the cliffs of her native England, Gemma has written a tale about hidden secrets that’s creepy and monstrous but also intimate and all too human — just the way we like it.”

Over the past few years, Lillard has quietly amassed one of the largest spirits portfolios of anyone in Hollywood. His love affair with booze kicked off with the launch of Quest’s End, a Dungeons and Dragons-centric whiskey brand that pays homage to fantasy “classes” like Monk, Wizard, Druid and Rogue.

His umbrella company, Find Familiar, later branched into the horror world with the debut of Macabre Spirits. The brand’s first offering was a barrel-aged sotol accompanied by a novella written by “Midnight Mass” director Mike Flanagan (we sampled both the story and the spirit, and can attest that both were wildly odd in the best way possible). Subsequent releases included a Texas bourbon, a California bourbon and a “Scream”-themed Ghost Face Vodka.

Macabre Spirits Saltspray will launch exclusively through Find Familiar and Seelbach’s on June 23rd at a yet-to-be announced price.