CT HorrorFest

Matthew Lillard

After honing his craft at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Matthew Lillard got his start in the horror genre with a role in Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College and then hopped right into an awesome role as one of Kathleen Turner’s kids in John Waters’ 1994 black comedy Serial Mom.

Two years later, however, he solidified his status in the eyes of horror fans with his portrayal of Stu in Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher hit Scream. Mr. Lillard has had a very busy career working with actors like George Clooney in The Descendants and Clint Eastwood in Trouble with the Curve, just to name a few.

Also, a talented voice actor, Lillard is well-known for his portrayal of Scooby Doo’s Shaggy both in voice and live-action.

Television: Robot Chicken, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds, Twin Peaks, Supernatural

Movies: Scream, Serial Mom, SLC Punk!, Thirteen Ghosts, She’s All That, The Descendants, Trouble with the Curve, Scooby Doo

Chris Durand

Chris Durand was already a well-known stunt man before signing on to don the iconic mask of The Shape for 1998’s Halloween H20. In addition to his stunt cred, he’d also played Ghostface in the previous year’s hit Scream 2 so the team at H20 knew that they were getting someone who could perform while inside a costume.

Famously, Chris had never seen any of the Halloween films before being cast as Michael, nor did he visit them before playing the part. “We wanted the character to be right but didn’t want to mimic previous portrayals”, he said; so they developed how they thought this Myers should play out on the screen for H20 and he knocked it out of the park – so much so that when they were casting the next Michael Myers for Halloween (2018), thousands of fans petitioned for Chris to play the role in the new addition to the franchise!

Let’s welcome New Haven, CT’s own Chris Durand, to 2021’s CT HorrorFest!

Films (actor): Demolition Man, Scream 2, Halloween H20, Class of 1999 II: The Substitute, Outta Time

Films: (stunts): Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Crow, Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, Resident Evil: Extinction, Talladega Nights, Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, The Mask, Encino Man