Limited ‘Macabre Spirits’ Tequila Release From Matthew Lillard to Include Mike Flanagan’s First Novella

For those who like to really indulge in the Halloween season, Find Familiar Spirits’ next high-end curated potable is for the horror fans: Macabre Spirits, referred to as “the world’s first tequila made by and for fans of horror.”

Find Familiar Spirits was founded by Scream star and horror stalwart Matthew Lillard in 2023, who’s teamed up with some impressive names on this release. Macabre Spirits hails from the imagination of Lillard and screenwriter Justin Ware (Bloodsucking Bastards).

But there’s more than just premium Reposado from the Jalisco region to enjoy with this release. Each bottle is accompanied by an exclusive new 70-page novella, Rare, Fine & Limited, described as the first work of fiction from modern horror master Mike Flanagan (Fall of the House of Usher, Haunting of Hill House).

Of the novella and collaboration, Lillard told Forbes, “With Macabre, each bottle launches with a novella, so there’s a short story that goes along with it, which is along the lines of Edgar Alan Poe, sort of like a gothic rather than a modern horror. In launching the brand, we’re like, ‘Well, who do we start with?’ A modern master like Mike Flanagan was a great ask, and he was a very easy yes. He jumped at the opportunity. We’re obviously friends, but he loved the idea. It’s his first novella. He’s never written a short story, so we expected 5,000 to 10,000 words, and it’s much longer than that because he got in there and just exploded. He’s really proud of it, and we’re really thrilled, obviously, not only as a company but also as his friend. We’re thrilled to be working with him.”

It sounds like this special limited release will be the first of many in the horror space. “It does set the table for other people to come in on this,” Lillard also told Forbes. “We have somebody lined up for the next one, but we’re not ready to announce it yet. The great news is that for us, it’s about the literary side rather than the Hollywood side. Mike is a great collaborator, but your next person is a well-known writer in the horror and fantasy genre. Again, I know him personally, and he’s an incredible writer who we’re excited to announce at a later date.”

Presales for Macabre Spirits begins on October 22, with shipping expected in early 2025. The first 5,000 bottles are numbered for collectibility.

Head to Macabre Spirits to join the mailing list ahead of the presales opening later this month.