PopHorror Let's Get Scared
One of my earliest horror crushes was David Arquette as the witty Benny in the 1992 film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Over the course of the years, David earned a real fan in me after starring in the Scream franchise, and from what I can tell, he’s a pretty cool dude. I was lucky enough to speak to David about his latest film, 12 Hour Shift, the new Scream 5, and of course, horror movies.
PopHorror: So I watched 12 Hour Shift the other night [read my review here], and it’s so fantastic. What was it about Brea’s [Grant] script that intrigued you and made you want to not only play a part in it, but also for you and your wife to produce it?
David Arquette: Well, Brea is such an incredible talent, and she’s such a wonderful writer and director. There’s not enough female voices out there getting the opportunity, so it was wonderful that we were given the opportunity to work with her. HCT Media is really a wonderful group of filmmakers. I’ve known Matt [Glass] and Jordan [Long] for a long time, so being able to work with them was also a real thrill. They’re the ones who found the script and set it up.
And then my wife, Christina [McLarty], was just amazing. This was her first feature film to produce and to be able to watch her do it and just blossom into this incredible producer… I was just so impressed by her. It was just wonderful to watch. It’s really fun. Jordan and Tara and Christina are all from Arkansas, so to go back down to Arkansas and bring filmmaking to this small town in Jonesboro, Arkansas, was also really a blessing.
PopHorror: That’s so cool! This isn’t your first horror movie, obviously. Scream is one of my favorites of yours. What continues to bring you back to the genre?
David Arquette: I love horror movies. Ever since I was a kid and saw Halloween, I just fell in love with that feeling of being scared. I love when films can actually elicit an emotion from you and get you scared or sad or to laugh. That’s really one of the joys of being able to be in the entertainment industry and being part of films with wonderful filmmakers like Brea. She had such a great tone. She set this tone of humor and horror, and I just loved it. And with Angela [Bettis], the lead cast member, and Chloe [Farnworth], they’re just this great team that altogether made the whole experience really fun. I think that comes across in the film.
PopHorror: It does, and that’s really awesome. Definitely has its hilarious moments. It recently played Fantasia, one of the most celebrated genre film festivals in the world. How did it feel for 12 Hour Shift to not only be a fan favorite, but also to take home the Best Screenplay and Best Film awards?
David Arquette: Oh, wow! I didn’t even know it won those! That’s so cool!
PopHorror: Oh! Well, congratulations!
David Arquette: Thank you! That’s thrilling. It is such a wonderful festival. I had an opportunity to go one time, and I just love meeting all the fans and just interacting with them. They’re just hearts and souls that really love filmmaking and the whole storytelling part of it. They love watching films over and over again and learning stuff that I never know myself. It was a real honor to be a part of it, especially now hearing that we won awards.
PopHorror: I love that you love interacting with your fans. We actually met at Horrorhound about four years ago.
David Arquette: Oh, my gosh! That’s a fun one.
PopHorror: Hope to see you at more once cons become a thing again.
David Arquette: Yeah, I know, right?
PopHorror: You have a very impressive resume. You also have an eclectic variety of talents and interests. But if you could collaborate with anyone on any project, who would it be?
David Arquette: Oh, my gosh! I’ve always been a huge fan of Martin Scorsese. Goodfellas is one of the greatest films ever made. I would love to work with him. I loved working with Robert Rodriguez. We made Road Rage together. He is such a tremendous filmmaker to work with. I’d love to work with Brea again. I’d love to act opposite Brea at some point. I don’t know, there’s a ton of incredible directors out there. I want to look for scripts I really love, stories I think people will enjoy. Characters that are well rounded. I love finding humor in stuff, even if it’s a serious role and finding moments of humanity in them.
PopHorror: I know that Covid has stalled a lot of projects and put a lot of them on hold. I also know that you are currently signed on for Scream 5. But is there anything else that you’re working on or have coming out?
David Arquette: Yeah, I have Blackjack coming out, which is the story of Jackie Ryan, the notorious New York City streetball player. It’s just a really wonderful love story about his love for his wife and basketball. So I’m excited for people to see that. And then Scream 5… I just shaved to have my Dewey mustache right in time for Movember. I’m excited to have a mustache for Movember and to be reunited with Neve and Courtney and to carry on Wes’ legacy.
It’s going to be really sad that he’s not on set, because he’s meant a lot to us. And the Radio Silence guys that are directing it are just so incredibly talented, and they were inspired by Wes, so I think they really want to do him justice and do the franchise justice. They have some incredible actors on board already. So I think it’ll be a lot of fun.
PopHorror: That’s so awesome! I am so incredibly excited. That’s one of my favorite franchises.
David Arquette: I love it, too.
PopHorror: I can’t wait! I just have one last question for you, David. I also took this from Scream (laughs)! What is your favorite scary movie?
David Arquette: My favorite scary movie… I mean there have been some really incredible ones recently. Hereditary was insane. Midsommar was insane. But my favorite of all time… I don’t know. I love Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Jack Nicholson’s performances back then were just so raw and funny and scary. That’s probably the one I typically say, just because I like the absurdness of some of the shots that went into that film. High Tension was really cool too.
Thank you so much, David, for taking the time to speak with us today. Be sure to check out 12 Hour Shift which releases October 2, 2020.
