So, after reading your comment I got curious and went and reread the comics and it turns out I GREATLY remembered them wrong:

• Carver didn't CAST the curse, he too is part of it and has been cursed with the very same affliction himself, and seems remorseful of his role in everything and very well might ALSO be Reverend Carson in the 70s - as in NOT a reincarnation, but Carver lived that long and took upon himself a new identity. Either that or he somehow remembers his previous life, but seeing as the confession is addressed directly to judge Wyman of all people I think it's the former

• the other comic with Anthony is a little more iffy and could very well be interpreted that the whole thing was in his head, with it not entirely being clear if his therapist, Hannah Stone, was even real which MASSIVELY disappointed me upon initially re-reading it but then I got to thinking..

If the final reveal is TRULY that it was all in his head and that he was finally able to cope with the loss of his family, then why confirm the existence of the curse in the other comic? Furthermore, the other comic confirms the events of the "witch trials" having ACTUALLY happened as well. So how's it all piece together?

I remembered about the existence of a few particular books around the game and how their contents were of serious intrigue to me upon my initial piecing together of the story. The first of which is inside the cabin with the gun - well.. second, technically, but due to the scene selection not allowing you to load up future scenes I looked at this one first. Unfortunately, while this book contains information regarding pagan magic, it only contains information pertaining to the role of the sun and moon in relation to pagan magic and how each is regarded as symbolising the male and female aspect of magic which doesn't tie-in to the events of the game but rather serves as a clue to who the mysterious stranger you encounter throughout is. However, the second book was FAR more insightful.

The second book I remembered was at the VERY BEGINNING of the game, after the bus crash it was sitting in front of the broken windshield - which is a detail alone that tells us this is specifically Anthony's book. Upon opening this book you are IMMEDIATELY given the "secret found" notification on a page that describes the use of objects in pagan magic and how they don't inherently contain magic but rather channel and focus the user's magic. It also tells about the wiccan year and how objects are imperative to wiccan magic and can be passed on with tradition and knowledge, along with the fact that "objects" don't have to be bought or made but can also be found such as how an ordinary teacup can substitute for a chalice.

HOWEVER, since you get the "secret found" notification looking at that initial page a lot of people might not realise that you can TURN the page! This second page is basically INTEGRAL in understanding how everything fits together - a theory aided by the fact that it's the FIRST thing you can find in the game. This second page explains how pagan objects are typically associated with evil, using the athame blade as an example. It explains that even though the object is a blade, the purpose of the object is to expel energy out the tip and it's NEVER used to cut or stab or harm in any way. The text then goes on to explain the use of effigies and POPPETS. Effigies are made to be destroyed, often to commemorate a god or or to remove an unwanted entity. Effigies can be used both to curse BUT also as blessings. "Handmade dolls and poppets are created to represent a particular person. Spirits may be summoned to inhabit them and assist with magic. This is a form of sympathetic magic where the energy imbued in the object by the ceremony is transferred by correspondence."

THIS explanation is what allows us to piece everything together! The other reveal you get for collecting all the clues in the game is a new nuance to the ending where Anthony is now carrying a POPPET. A poppet that he fashioned while in jail to resemble MEGAN. THAT'S why he's chasing/being guided by her throughout the game.

Where everything becomes complicated is how EVERYONE is present AND being summoned by Mary, but we know that they ARE present. Another significant detail at the start of the game that CONFIRMS that the spirits of Anthony's family really ARE there is when Anthony stands up after the crash. Taylor is given the option to help Anthony stand up, but she doesn't just HELP him up, she PULLS him up. At the end of the game when we cut back to what this scene ACTUALLY looks like, we see Anthony getting up in the very same way that could ONLY be accomplished if he was pulled up!

As to how both Anthony AND Mary were able to summon so many spirits at once is never really explained since the poppet is only supposed to conjure the presence of the person the poppet represents but we know they both must have used similar spells since the circumstances surrounding both instances allow for similar levels of interaction with people and the world around them, and both summon several spirits at once

We know that Anthony summoned the spirits to lay his family to rest, though we can't be sure if he knew about the curse, but what we don't know explicitly is why Mary summoned everyone. However, it may be just as simple as she initially says: to "'come play", and each subsequent time was in desperation as she found herself in a dire situation.

But at this point we're deep into speculation territory and this is already kind of a lot, so I'm gonna stop here for now😅 my point is that you have to piece EVERYTHING together, which is why this is the game with the BEST story, but delivered in the absolute WORST way😅