Skeet Ulrich as Henry in "Five Nights at Freddy’s 2."
Matthew Lillard as William Afton in "Five Nights at Freddy’s 2."

Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich are still making us scream.

Almost three decades after playing the original Ghostface killers, Stu Macher and Billy Loomis, in the first "Scream" movie in 1996, the horror icons are back together. In "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" (in theaters now), the sequel to the hit video game adaptation about haunted animatronics, Lillard, 55, returns as brutal serial killer William Afton, while Ulrich debuts as Henry, a new character with a key link to Afton's past.

Calling the film a reunion between the actors wouldn't be entirely accurate, given how much time they've spent together at horror conventions over the years.

"I see him more than I see my best friends from high school," Lillard says. "We're together constantly."

Matthew Lillard reflects on close friendship with Skeet Ulrich

While Lillard says he and Ulrich were friends while making "Scream" when they were in their 20s, in their 50s, there's now a "different depth" to their bond, and "both of us are surprised that we're as close as we are after so long."

"As I've watched him raise his children as a single father, the way we talk about our own mental health, the ebbs and flows of this business, we have a camaraderie and a fellowship that is unlike anything I've had in this business with anyone," Lillard says. "No, we don't see each other on a Friday night and play pickleball together, but there's this deep friendship there."

"Five Nights at Freddy's 2" picks up one year after creepy animatronics came to life at a Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant in the 2023 film, which ended with Lillard's character revealing himself as the true villain before his violent death. For the sequel, Afton returns in dream sequences and flashbacks, as his daughter, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), remains haunted by her disturbing past.

While fans shouldn't expect a huge amount of screen time from Lillard or Ulrich in the new movie, Lillard teases that, based on the games, there's much more to explore with their characters in a potential sequel. "If you know the game, you know the relationship, and you know there's a lot coming for the two of us to do in the third film," he says. "Both of us are really excited about that."

Matthew Lillard is 'enjoying every second' of his career resurgence

"Five Nights at Freddy's 2" continues what the "Scooby-Doo" star dubs "the era of Matthew Lillard 2.0." The actor is in the midst of a major career resurgence, which has included "Five Nights at Freddy's" and Mike Flanagan's "The Life of Chuck," plus his upcoming appearances in "Scream 7," a new "Carrie" TV show, the Tony Gilroy film "Behemoth!," and "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2.

After experiencing many ups and downs in his professional life, including selling his house during a low period, Lillard says this renaissance has been a "beautiful thing."

"As you're rounding second base headed for home on a career, to get a resurgence so late in life is a gift," he says. "You don't see it very often. I've been around a long time, and I've had incredible swings. I've had moments where I was on top of the world. I've had moments where my father-in-law said, 'Maybe you should go sell pharmaceuticals instead of act.'

So I am, at this age, so grateful to have this burst — and understand, clearly, that this, too, shall pass. But while I'm having this moment, I'm enjoying every second of it."

Matthew Lillard credits career renaissance to 'Scooby-Doo' nostalgia

The first "Five Nights at Freddy's" being a monster hit "certainly helped" remind the industry that he's still around, Lillard says. But the actor, who memorably played Shaggy in the live-action "Scooby-Doo" films of the early 2000s, has another theory to explain his recent uptick in opportunities.

"There's this whole generation of kids that have grown up and are now the executives in Hollywood, and they are the generation that got stuck with the minivan that had the last DVDs that were ever made, and those DVDs were in that minivan, and that DVD was probably 'Scooby-Doo,'" he jokes.

"They had to watch 'Scooby-Doo' a million times. There's a whole generation of brainwashed executives who loved Shaggy and his fart scene."

Matthew Lillard feared he could 'screw up my legacy' with 'Scream' return

In February, Lillard will also return to the horror franchise that made him famous in "Scream 7." This follows years of fan theories suggesting his character, Stu Macher, may have secretly survived having a television dropped on his head in the finale of the 1996 slasher classic.

After the actor himself spent years advocating for Stu's return, when Lillard finally got the call to come back for "Scream 7," he was "exuberant." But that feeling was quickly followed by fear and anxiety. "As it got closer and closer, I got more and more nervous that there's a potential to really screw up my legacy," he says.

"If I do nothing and I die [in the first movie], people will say, 'Oh, Matthew Lillard as Stu was fantastic.' If I come back for '7' and the movie's bad, I'm terrible, and it just doesn't work, then I run the risk of putting all of those good vibes on the chopping block," he adds.

Lillard, though, is "really hopeful that people like what I did." But might he ever revisit his other most iconic role, Shaggy, in a potential third "Scooby-Doo" feature film? While he will continue voicing the role in animation, Lillard sees a live-action return as quite unlikely and notes he hasn't received a call about the upcoming "Scooby-Doo" Netflix series.

"He's a meddling teenager," Lillard says. "I'm almost 60 freaking years old. I know AI can do a lot, but I would be shocked if I went back."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Horror icons Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich's friendship runs 'deep'

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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