A trip to scatter their father’s ashes leaves 3 estranged siblings stranded on a remote river in River. Their boat breaks down miles from help, their phones have no service, and a faceless killer is watching from the woods. Surviving means working together through the grudges they’ve brought aboard.
Jane Levy (Evil Dead) plays Lucy, Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day) plays her older sister Carla, and Max Mattern plays their younger brother Drew. Dane DiLiegro, who played the Predator in Prey, plays the masked killer.
Written and directed by Joshua Giuliano, the 92-minute slasher is his feature debut. It premiered as TIFF’s Midnight Madness opening-night film on September 10, 2026. Deadline reported that Universal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster acquired it for more than $10 million after the premiere.
As of October 1, trade coverage reported a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score from 31 reviews. River opens in U.S. theaters on January 15, 2027, through Universal.