Eric Roberts Summoned For Witchcraft 18: The Lanterne of Light
Eric Roberts boards Witchcraft 18: The Lanterne of Light, joining Lisa Wilcox, Kato Kaelin, and more for the franchise’s next chapter.
If you ever spent time lurking around the horror section in a British video rental, chances are you clocked the Witchcraft films gathering dust on the shelves. I always wondered who was actually watching this seemingly bottomless slasher saga as it churned out sequel after absurd sequel. Turns out, it’s one of those franchises that just refuses to die—if you can believe it, they've now hit film number eighteen. Yes, really.
Eric Roberts Enters the Witchcraft Dungeon
The next instalment has a title straight out of a Hammer horror generator: Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light. Here’s the wild bit—Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts is joining the cast. He’s not exactly picky (by now his IMDb page is longer than the Domino’s menu), but it’s still a name you’d never expect to see in a series like this.
Just to put it in perspective, Roberts’ career runs from the mid-70s, encompassing Runaway Train, Best of the Best, The Dark Knight, Babylon, and about 900-odd other gigs. That’s not an exaggeration: as of right now, the man has racked up 925 acting credits. The phrase ‘will work for food’ comes to mind, but you have to admire the graft.
What’s the Setup This Time?
This new chapter is going for a 'paranormal found-footage’ angle. Apparently, someone involved decided after seventeen films the franchise needed to be 'reintroduced' with something a tad more... grounded? Atmospheric? Either way, the budget is probably still whatever they found down the back of the sofa.
We’re deep in the North Carolina woods for this one. The plot revolves around a paranormal investigation crew who are poking around the legend of a cursed lantern, allegedly tied to an ancient cult called The Children of the Hollow. As you’d expect, things spiral: the crew uncover twisted links to a sadistic, outcast priest and rituals based on the Seven Deadly Sins. What starts out as your standard ghost hunt veers violently into a proper nightmare, on and off camera.
The Cast of Witchcraft 18
- Eric Roberts (Serious acting royalty, albeit with eclectic standards)
- Andrew Pierson (A Soldier’s Descent)
- Lisa Wilcox (Yes, from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 & 5)
- Kato Kaelin (if you’re into oddball celebrity cameos—the O.J. Simpson saga’s famous houseguest)
- Kristina Lafser (The Last Sleepover)
- Studio 54’s own former DJ, Rockin Ronnie (no, you haven’t time-travelled)
- Sandy Johnson (who was in the original Halloween, so that’s a fun bit of horror trivia)
Behind the Madness: Director’s Take
Director Carissa Pierson is oddly enthusiastic, promising something a bit more unnerving and less like the previous endless parade of cheese. She says:
'This film isn’t just another sequel — it’s a descent into something far more disturbing and atmospheric. We wanted to create a horror experience that feels raw, immersive and genuinely unsettling. Bringing Eric Roberts into this world adds another layer of intensity that horror fans are going to love. And this is only the beginning — fans can expect more major cast announcements very soon.'
Given this franchise's tendency to throw in the kitchen sink and then set it on fire, I wouldn’t rule out more surprises on the cast front soon.