RIVER Well-received backwoods slasher – overview and trailer

‘Fear runs deep’
River is a 2026 horror film about three siblings who, after being stranded in a boat on a country river, are stalked by a faceless killer. Its premise invites comparisons with The Hills Have Eyes and Eden Lake, both of which explore the terror of being trapped in hostile surroundings.

The movie was written and directed by Joshua Giuliano and stars Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe, Max Mattern and Dane DiLiegro.

Plot:
Three estranged siblings return to their rural hometown following the death of their father. Hoping to pay their respects, they take a boat along a remote river to scatter his ashes at a place that held special significance for him and their family.

The trip soon goes disastrously wrong. Their boat breaks down, leaving them stranded far from help, with no mobile phone reception and little prospect of getting back to safety quickly. Then they notice someone watching them from the riverbank: a disturbing, masked figure emerging from the surrounding woodland.

What begins as an uncomfortable encounter becomes a terrifying ordeal as the siblings realise that the stranger poses a genuine threat and appears intent on hunting them down.

Trapped in an isolated stretch of wilderness, they must confront not only their mysterious pursuer but also the bitterness and unresolved conflicts that have driven them apart. Their chances of surviving the night depend on whether they can put their differences aside and work together against an apparently relentless killer…

Critical reception:
Reviews have been encouraging overall, although not universally enthusiastic. At the time of posting this overview, River had a 94% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews.

Critics have generally praised its atmospheric cinematography, visual style and willingness to deliver bloody, intense slasher horror. Some reviewers, however, have criticised its familiar genre conventions, uneven pacing and limited character development.

Release:
River premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026; its US theatrical release is scheduled for 15 January 2027.

Country of origin:
United States

Filming locations:
Wadestown West Virginia

Tech specs:
1h 32m (92 min)

Trailer:

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