British-Slovenian actress Marta Svetek continues to build an impressive career across film, horror and some of the world’s biggest video game franchises. Known for her work in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’, ‘Battlefield 6’, ‘Valorant’, ‘I Am Rage’ and ‘St. Patrick’s Day Massacre’, Svetek now appears as Anya in the new psychological horror feature ‘The Death of Us’. Directed by Annabella Rich in her feature directorial debut and co-written by Rich and Chris Mills, ‘The Death of Us’ will have its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest in London on Saturday, 29 August 2026, as part of the festival’s First Blood strand.
The supernatural horror explores grief, trauma and the strain placed on a loving relationship following an unimaginable tragedy. Svetek will be in attendance at the premiere, with a Q&A taking place after the screening featuring Annabella Rich and Chris Mills. A limited number of tickets are still available via the official FrightFest website. Ahead of the premiere, Marta speaks about stepping into a very different kind of character, working with Annabella Rich, the collaborative nature of independent horror and why the film’s FrightFest selection feels particularly meaningful.
Can you tell us a little about your role in ‘The Death of Us’ and what initially attracted you to the project?
I play Danny’s get-it-done literary PR agent, Anya. She is the very straight-laced, always immaculate-looking type who cares about her client, but also knows how to handle things when clients throw some unusual behaviour her way. It was a really cool change of pace for me from all the action-oriented roles that Annabella had asked me to step into as early as a year before the movie, when we met on the set of Steve Lawson’s ‘St. Patrick’s Day Massacre’. For once, I wasn’t constantly covered in dirt! When she first mentioned that she had a role in mind for me, the movie was still in the very early stages of pre-production, so I’m honoured that I fit her amazing vision for the film so early on. A fun detail about Anya’s immaculate look is that the suit I wear in the movie is actually a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier suit that has been in my family for 20 years, which made wearing it for the character even more special.
The film explores grief, trauma and supernatural horror within a very emotional story. What was the experience like for you as an actress, stepping into such an intense world?
For my character, it was a lot about playing the subtlety of the non-horror scenes — the scenes where everything is seemingly running as usual and things are going well. If those scenes aren’t played in the correct space, then the contrast and horror of the darker scenes are diminished.
“The mundane can create just as much unease in an audience that knows it’s watching a horror movie as the horrific moments can.”
That’s really what I’ve learned from my experience in horror franchises so far: both the light and the dark can be terrifying, and the nuances of performance within each can drive the tension to that next level more than anything else.
‘The Death of Us’ marks Annabella Rich’s feature directorial debut. How was your experience working with Annabella, both as a director and fellow actress, and what do you think she brings to the horror genre?
Seeing Annabella weave dark scenes together with such unassuming moments to create tension so masterfully was a real privilege to watch. It certainly isn’t something you would expect from a first-time feature director. Her being an established UK Scream Queen also clearly informed the way she worked with her cast. No matter how crazy things got, she was always empathetic and present, understanding that filming some of these scenes can be a lot. I would work with her again in a heartbeat.
The cast also includes ‘Hellraiser’ icon Nicholas Vince. What was it like being part of this ensemble, and what was the atmosphere like behind the scenes on such an independent production?
Sadly, I didn’t cross paths with Nicholas on this shoot because we were filming on different days, but I know Nicholas from the horror convention scene — and, of course, from the ‘Hellraiser’ movies — and he is just the most wonderful, insightful actor and an awesome person. Everyone involved in this production comes very much from the indie world, and we all understand what a tight budget entails and demands. I think that’s why this was one of the friendliest and most respectful sets I’ve ever been on.
“The camaraderie and professionalism everyone brought to the table were wonderful.”
The luxuries of big sets are very nice, but nothing will ever beat that kind of atmosphere.
With ‘The Death of Us’ having its World Premiere at FrightFest on 29 August, how does it feel to have the film presented to one of the UK’s leading horror audiences, and what do you hope viewers will take away from it?
I am absolutely over the moon that ‘The Death of Us’ was selected, and in such a prominent slot! It is an extremely deserved nod from the industry to two of its best upcoming filmmakers and true horror fans. I think that in a space where genre film in general can sometimes be looked down upon by the wider industry, especially in terms of funding, and yet it’s also the space where some of the best to ever do it have honed their craft, events like FrightFest are extremely important. To be highlighted in this way is a sign of Annabella’s immense talent, with much more epic horror cinema to come. For now, I hope audiences come out of the cinema thoroughly entertained and thoroughly freaked out by what they saw — and then ready to go back in, because it’s definitely one that warrants a rewatch.