Talking Shop: David Arquette

Arquette starred in Eight Legged Freaks and the Scream series

The youngest of the famous acting siblings, David Arquette got his first major break in 1996 playing simple cop Dewey in the slasher film series Scream.

The 36-year-old met Friends star Courteney Cox while working on the first Scream, marrying her in 1999.

The actor has now written, produced, directed and starred in his own horror movie, The Tripper, featuring a psychotic killer who dresses up as former US president Ronald Reagan.

Warning: This interview contains plot spoilers

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Where did you get the idea for The Tripper?

I went to a reggae concert in northern California and thought it would be crazy if a guy with an axe came and started hacking up all these hippies!

I'd been thinking about doing a horror film with a killer that had an iconic look and thought it would be neat to have the juxtaposition of hippies attacked by Ronald Reagan in a suit and tie. Then some of Reagan's politics worked into the film too.

Were you trying to make a political statement?

The killer in The Tripper looks like Ronald Reagan

Not too heavy-handed. But to me, the true psychopaths in the world are the leaders that let people go and kill each other. I do bash the Republicans a little but the hippies don't come off too sharp either!

You seem to have had a lot of fun making this film. Was it meant as an homage to cult horror films?

For sure - it's supposed to be a campy, trashy, B-movie like the horror movies from the late 70s and early 80s.

Your wife Courteney Cox appears in the film. How did she take to being killed off?

She was a real sport. On the DVD you see the outtakes and she's hilarious because the thing we used to kill her was so fake-looking. She came and did four or five takes and had fun with it.

You have a lot of friends and family in the film. How did they take to being bossed around by you?

They were great, they took it well. They were really supportive and couldn't complain working on a low-budget horror film, but they took one for the team and we laughed the entire time.

Was it difficult to combine writing, directing and acting in the film all at the same time?

That's why I chose a small role - I didn't want to confuse myself! And I wanted to focus on the other people. I wasn't too crazy about my performance - in the editing room I was like, "oh god, this guy!"

The film follows a group of friends at a music festival

You promoted your film through MySpace - do you think that's the way forward?

It didn't work altogether for me. We centred it there which was a little bit lopsided - we didn't have enough money to put up billboards and posters or buy ads in magazines. I think you really need the full circle of marketing on a really wide scale. The more people you put the word out to, the more chance you have of getting people to discover it.

Would you make another film?

For sure, I love directing. I've directed two episodes of Medium, my sister's [Patricia] show, and one episode of Dirt [starring Courtney Cox]. I really love directing, it's a lot of fun.

You're part of a big acting family - is there any sibling rivalry between you?

No. Getting to see my family is difficult enough as everyone's running around, even though we all live in the same city.

David Arquette and Courtney Cox married in 1999

You had a brief spell doing WCW wrestling. Do you have any plans to make a return?

I don't, no. I would love to but apparently the wrestling community for the most part were a little upset with my effort.

How are Courteney and your daughter Coco? And what are your plans for Coco's upcoming birthday?

Courteney and Coco are great. I like to spoil Coco but we don't want to create a monster. So she'll have a fun birthday party and maybe go to Disneyland and have a few nice presents.

The Tripper is released on DVD from 31 March 2008. David Arquette was speaking to BBC News entertainment reporter Genevieve Hassan.