Guthrie Lowe Joins as First Assistant Director; Legacy Characters Return
The Witchcraft franchise is preparing to descend into one of its darkest chapters yet.
It has been officially announced that Carissa Pierson will direct Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light, the next entry in the long-running cult horror series, produced by Deathstalker Productions. Known for her grounded, atmosphere-driven approach to storytelling, Pierson’s involvement signals a bold tonal evolution—one rooted in folklore, psychological terror, and emotional collapse.
Joining Pierson behind the camera is Guthrie Lowe, who comes aboard as First Assistant Director. Lowe previously served as First Assistant Director on the psychological horror film A Soldier’s Descent, bringing proven experience managing intense productions and maintaining focus on character-driven storytelling under pressure.
The film also confirms the return of legacy characters that longtime fans of the Witchcraft series will recognize. Andrew Pierson returns to the franchise as William Spanner, a character deeply embedded in the mythology of the series. Pierson’s return strengthens the connective tissue to the franchise’s past while allowing the character to be explored through a darker, more intimate lens.
Additionally, Kristina Lafser joins the Witchcraft universe as Keli Jordan, marking the first time Lafser has portrayed the character. Keli Jordan is a legacy figure within the series, and Lafser’s introduction brings a new interpretation to a character rooted in the franchise’s history—bridging established lore with fresh emotional perspective.
Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light is being developed as a found-footage occult horror film, drawing from early North Carolina folklore and religious paranoia. The story centers on The Children of the Hollow, a secretive pagan cult founded by an exiled priest whose obsession with sin and purification gave rise to a cursed artifact known as the Lantern of Light—a blood-fed relic tied to the Seven Deadly Sins and a forbidden text bearing the same name.
Under Pierson’s direction, the found-footage format is used with restraint and intent. The camera becomes an unflinching witness to unraveling faith, corrupted desire, and moral decay. The horror is intimate, invasive, and deliberately unsettling.
This installment represents a tonal shift for the Witchcraft franchise, emphasizing psychological weight and mythological depth over spectacle. Themes of obsession, belief, guilt, and corruption drive the narrative, ensuring the terror lingers long after the final frame.
With Carissa Pierson directing, Guthrie Lowe serving as First Assistant Director, Deathstalker Productions behind the project, the return of Andrew Pierson as William Spanner, and Kristina Lafser’s first portrayal of legacy character Keli Jordan, Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light is shaping up to be a confident and ambitious continuation of the franchise.
This is not nostalgia.
This is not safe.
This is Witchcraft—reclaimed, reimagined, and ready to burn.
Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light is currently in development.