The next generation of the Warren paranormal legacy is stepping into one of horror’s longest-running franchises.
Deathstalker Productions has announced that Chris McKinnell, grandson of legendary paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, has joined the cast of Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light, the upcoming feature installment in the long-running Witchcraft horror franchise.
McKinnell brings a unique connection to the production. Beyond being the grandson of Ed and Lorraine Warren, he serves as Director and Founder of the Warren Legacy Foundation for Paranormal Research, an organization dedicated to continuing the Warren family’s work and providing free assistance for people experiencing dangerous or unexplained situations.
That real-world connection to paranormal research makes his involvement in The Lanterne of Light particularly fitting.
“Having Chris join this film is incredibly exciting for us,” says director Carissa Pierson. “His connection to Ed and Lorraine Warren is obviously a remarkable part of his story, but what really stood out to me is Chris himself and his continued work in the paranormal community. We’re telling a fictional story, but having someone with his background step into this world adds another level of authenticity to the paranormal side of the film. We’re honored to have him aboard.”
Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light is a work of fiction that explores the world of paranormal television and supernatural investigation.
The movie follows William Spanner, co-host of the paranormal television program Unmasking the Paranormal, as he and his team travel into the woods of North Carolina to investigate a mysterious case.
What begins as a paranormal television investigation soon takes a much darker turn.
The team finds themselves drawn into the mystery surrounding The Children of the Hollow, a secretive group connected to an ancient manuscript known as The Lanterne of Light.
The movie is being presented in a found-footage style, putting audiences directly inside the investigation as the story unfolds through the perspective of those documenting it.
The film’s mythology centers around the mysterious 1409 manuscript The Lanterne of Light and the disturbing secrets surrounding The Children of the Hollow. Beyond that, the filmmakers are keeping many of the film’s darker revelations and supernatural elements under wraps.
McKinnell joins an ensemble that includes Eric Roberts, Lisa Wilcox, Sandy Johnson, Marc Price, Kato Kaelin, Vernon Wells and Andrew Pierson, bringing together recognizable Hollywood, genre and paranormal talent for a new chapter in the Witchcraft franchise.
For longtime Witchcraft fans, The Lanterne of Light represents a new direction for the series, combining supernatural horror with the world of paranormal television and found footage.
For paranormal fans, however, the addition of Chris McKinnell carries an extra significance.
The grandson of Ed and Lorraine Warren—and the Director and Founder of the Warren Legacy Foundation for Paranormal Research—is stepping into the world of Witchcraft.
The cameras are rolling. The investigation is underway. And the filmmakers aren’t revealing everything waiting in the darkness.
The story may be fiction. The nightmare is part of the movie.
Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light is currently in production in North Carolina.