JuicyTalk
Blumhouse and Shudder scare up a new slasher horror.
Written and directed by Joshua Giuliano, River stars Evil Dead‘s Jane Levy alongside Happy Death Day star Jessica Rothe, Max Mattern, and Dane DiLiegro. The story follows three estranged siblings who reunite after their father’s death to scatter his ashes at his favorite spot on a remote river. However, after their boat breaks down and leaves them stranded without cell service, the siblings discover that a faceless killer is stalking them from the woods. The setup kind of carries shades of slasher classics like Friday the 13th and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
- Independent Film Company and Shudder
According to Rotten Tomatoes, River has debuted to an impressive 88% critics’ score from 16 reviews. The horror movie does not yet have an audience score. While the early response isn’t universally positive, most critics have given Giuliano’s latest venture into the slasher genre a positive review. Meanwhile, it’s currently the third-highest-rated movie in Levy and Rothe’s career.
The strong reception follows its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. ScreenRant’s own review of River was less enthusiastic, criticizing the movie’s slow first act and familiar slasher tropes while praising the tension that arrives once DiLiegro’s masked killer begins hunting the siblings. The horror also marks Giuliano’s feature directorial debut, eight years after he previously put his own spin on the genre with the 2018 short film In Sound, We Live Forever.
Jane Levy’s 4 Highest-Rated Movies | Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score | Jessica Rothe’s 4 Highest-Rated Movies | Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
|---|---|---|---|
A Little Prayer (2023) | 94% | Imposters (2026) | 100% |
I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) | 89% | La La Land (2016) | 91% |
River (2026) | 88% | River (2026) | 88% |
Don’t Breathe (2016) | 88% | Tater Tot & Patton (2017) | 82% |
Deadline reports River has already attracted major attention beyond its critical reception. Following the movie’s TIFF premiere, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster entered talks to acquire the slasher from IFC and Shudder, with the deal reportedly valued at more than $10 million.
The movie also brings together two stars with plenty of experience in the genre. Levy previously starred as Mia Allen in Fede Álvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead and later led the home-invasion horror movie Don’t Breathe. Rothe, meanwhile, is best known to horror audiences for playing Tree Gelbman in Happy Death Day and its 2019 sequel, Happy Death Day 2U. Their latest movie puts both actors back in slasher territory, this time as siblings forced to work together to survive.
Giuliano is already lining up another project in the genre after River. The filmmaker is set to direct Occupant, a new horror movie being developed with Focus Features, Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Divide/Conquer, and Spooky Pictures. With River earning a strong early Rotten Tomatoes score and landing a major acquisition following its festival premiere, Giuliano’s first feature is already generating attention ahead of its wider release.
River does not yet have a theatrical release date following its festival debut.
