New Hollywood Magazine attended the Los Angeles industry screening, spoke with the cast and creative team, and joined the film’s horror-filled afterparty at SlasherWorld.
A haunted doll, an ancient curse and a room filled with horror lovers made the Los Angeles industry screening of Anathema a night to remember.
New Hollywood Magazine had the opportunity to attend the July 29 screening at Regal North Hollywood, where members of the cast, crew and local horror community gathered to celebrate the independent supernatural thriller. The evening continued at SlasherWorld, transforming the screening into a full horror experience complete with familiar faces, emerging talent and plenty of reasons to remain suspicious of every doll waiting at home.
Also known as Anathema: The Devil’s Doll, the film follows a carefree night that descends into terror after a group of friends encounters an ancient curse. What begins with excitement and temptation quickly becomes a fight to survive as a malevolent force closes in around them. The project is described as being inspired by actual events, adding another unsettling layer to a story already built around one of horror’s most reliable warnings: some objects should never be touched.
Directed by Marcel Walz, Anathema originates from a story by Michael P. Call, with Marc Gottlieb also credited on the writing team. Together, the filmmakers and production team build a contained supernatural nightmare that allows its ensemble to move through fear, temptation and survival as the curse tightens its grip
A Doll That Should Have Been Left Alone
Let’s establish something immediately: I am already afraid of dolls.
I do not need a doll to move, blink, whisper or appear in a different place than where I left it. A doll can sit perfectly still and I will still assume it knows too much.
Naturally, Anathema did absolutely nothing to help that fear.
The film understands why haunted-doll stories continue to work. Dolls are designed to imitate life while remaining just unnatural enough to make people uncomfortable. Add an ancient curse, supernatural danger and the suggestion of actual events, and suddenly every quiet moment becomes suspicious.
The terror of Anathema is not limited to whether the doll will do something frightening. The greater fear comes from the feeling that the characters have activated something they do not fully understand and cannot easily escape.
Once the threat enters their world, the audience is left waiting for the next sign that the situation has become even worse.
And for someone who already does not trust dolls, that was more than enough.
An Ensemble Ready to Get Bloody
The film brings together established genre performers and emerging actors, giving Anathema an ensemble that represents several generations of independent horror.
The cast includes Diana Prince, Joseph Gatt, Caroline Williams, Robert Craighead, Ramiro Leal, Bix Krieger, Esmeree Sterling, Erika K. Marks, Kasia Szarek, Brandon Papo, Garyth James Barnes and Olga Loera, Shanon G Wong, among others.
Caroline Williams brings undeniable horror history to the production. Her presence connects Anathema to a larger genre legacy while reminding audiences why horror veterans remain such an important part of independent filmmaking.
Joseph Gatt and Robert Craighead also bring recognizable screen experience to the ensemble, while the larger cast helps create a world filled with distinct personalities, competing instincts and different reactions to the danger surrounding them.
Horror works best when the audience cares about more than who will survive. The personalities within the group must feel specific enough that every decision, disappearance and confrontation carries weight.
Anathema gives its ensemble room to experience fear differently. Some characters attempt to stay rational. Others react emotionally or impulsively. As the curse becomes harder to deny, the group’s shared experience begins revealing what each person is carrying beneath the surface.
Erika K. Marks Commands Attention
Among the film’s emerging performers, Erika K. Marks delivered one of the night’s most memorable appearances.
And yes, Erika pronounces her name “Ettika,” which I love.
Marks stood out immediately. There is a natural presence to her performance that makes the audience pay attention whenever she enters the frame. Even within a sizable ensemble and a story filled with supernatural chaos, she finds ways to make her character feel seen.
Horror asks actors to accomplish more than looking frightened. They must make an extraordinary situation feel emotionally believable while maintaining enough individuality that the audience remembers the character beyond the danger.
Marks brings that individuality.
Her work in Anathema makes her an exciting performer to watch as she continues building her career. She does not disappear within the ensemble, and in a genre where characters can easily become reduced to victims or body counts, that distinction matters.
Garyth James Barnes Joins the Next Generation
Garyth James Barnes is another upcoming actor contributing to the film’s ensemble.
Independent horror has long created opportunities for emerging performers to take risks, build memorable characters and work alongside veterans of the genre. Barnes’ presence in Anathema reflects that tradition.
Seeing new talent share the screen and the red carpet with established performers was one of the evening’s highlights. Productions like Anathema do more than deliver a completed movie; they create a meeting point between artists at different stages of their careers.
That combination gives independent horror its energy. Familiar faces may draw audiences in, but emerging talent helps determine where the genre goes next.
Olga Loera Brings Glamour to the Carpet
Before the scares began inside the theater, Olga Loera brought full glamour to the red carpet.
Loera, who is also included in the film’s ensemble, looked stunning as she joined the cast, crew and invited guests for the North Hollywood screening. Her appearance gave the carpet an extra dose of Hollywood elegance before everyone stepped inside for a story involving curses, darkness and a doll with absolutely no respect for anyone’s peace.
Los Angeles Industry Screening “Anathema”
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 29: Olga Loera attends the Los Angeles screening of “Anathema” at the Regal North Hollywood on July 29, 2026 in North Hollywood, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images for MyCall Films )
That contrast made the evening even more enjoyable.
The carpet was filled with polished looks, excitement and celebration, while the film waiting inside offered blood, fear and supernatural chaos. It was the perfect combination of independent-film glamour and horror-community fun.
Familiar Faces Support Independent Horror
The screening also brought out familiar faces from across the horror and independent entertainment community.
It was wonderful seeing Tyler Gallant and Sarah French among those supporting the film and celebrating its cast and creative team. Their presence contributed to the sense that the evening was not simply about promoting one title. It was also about a community showing up for the artists working within it.
That support is essential in independent filmmaking.
Every completed movie represents months—or sometimes years—of writing, producing, performing, planning, editing and problem-solving. An industry screening allows the people behind the work to finally experience it with an audience and receive the energy that cannot be felt while working separately behind the scenes.
The Anathema screening felt like a reunion, introduction and celebration happening simultaneously.
The Party Continued at SlasherWorld
After the credits rolled, the night continued at SlasherWorld, where the cast, crew and guests gathered for the official afterparty.
There could not have been a more appropriate setting.
Surrounded by horror imagery and genre nostalgia, attendees had the opportunity to celebrate the film, reconnect after the screening and discuss the moments that stayed with them. The location allowed the atmosphere of Anathema to follow everyone out of the theater without losing the celebratory energy of the night.
New Hollywood Magazine also had the chance to speak with members of the cast and creative team, adding more context to the collaboration behind the film.
Red carpets move quickly, but those conversations offer a glimpse into the people behind the characters. They reveal how much enthusiasm, personality and care exists beyond the darkness audiences see on screen.
For a film about something malevolent hunting its characters, the environment surrounding Anathema could not have felt more welcoming.
More Than One Person’s Nightmare
One of the most important takeaways from the evening was that Anathema belongs to its entire creative family.
A horror movie may begin with an idea, but it requires an interconnected group of writers, producers, actors, designers, technicians and supporters to transform that idea into an experience an audience can enter.
The cast commits to the fear. The creative departments make the nightmare visible. The production team creates the conditions necessary for every department to do its work. The horror community then helps carry the movie forward.
That shared energy was present throughout the screening and afterparty.
Anathema succeeds as a celebration of independent horror because it brings together recognizable genre talent, emerging performers and creators willing to embrace the strange, frightening and occasionally fabulous.
Final Verdict
Anathema delivers the exact kind of supernatural warning that horror audiences love: do not touch the strange object, do not underestimate the curse and definitely do not assume the doll is harmless.
Its premise is simple enough to pull viewers in but unsettling enough to remain in their thoughts after the screening. The ensemble gives the nightmare personality, while the inspired-by-actual-events connection makes the danger feel just close enough to reality to become uncomfortable.
As for me, I entered the theater already afraid of dolls.
I left even more convinced that every doll should be carefully watched, respectfully avoided and possibly removed from the house altogether.
A cursed doll connected to actual events?
I’m good.
But despite my refusal to personally investigate anything remotely similar, Anathema left me ready to see where the story could go next.
The Los Angeles screening was more than a premiere. It was a celebration of independent horror, emerging talent, established genre favorites and the community that continues showing up to support them.
The doll may have provided the terror, but the cast, crew and supporters gave the night its life.
And when the next chapter arrives, New Hollywood Magazine will be ready—preferably from a safe distance.
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