Two of horror’s most beloved final girls. One remote river. A faceless killer emerging from the woods. River premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, and it’s already one of the most anticipated genre films of the festival.
The Story
Three estranged siblings reunite in their hometown after their father’s death. They set out to scatter his ashes at his favorite spot on a remote river. The boat breaks down. They’re stranded miles from help with no cell service. And something, someone, has stepped out of the woods. To survive the night, siblings who can barely stand each other must fight together against a killer Variety describes as “ruthless” and “almost mythic.”
The Team
River marks the feature directorial debut of Joshua Giuliano, who also wrote the screenplay. Jane Levy (Evil Dead) and Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day) lead the cast, alongside Max Mattern (Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy) and Dane DiLiegro (Prey). Additionally, the film opens TIFF’s 2026 Midnight Madness genre slate.
Variety describes it as finding “a taut balance between echoing the beats of classic slashers and intentionally subverting expectations,” calling it evocative of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween without feeling redundant. Giuliano is clear about his intent, “I wanted to make the kind of slasher film that I wanted to see. Something stripped down to its core elements. Slasher films at their very essence are simple and primal. It’s about a cast of human characters being hunted down by a killer. It’s about the relentlessness of death, the pursuit of death, sometimes the inevitability of death.”
What to Watch For
River also screens at Fantastic Fest in Austin on September 17. No wide release date has been announced yet, but with a Shudder distribution deal already in place and TIFF Midnight Madness launching it to the world, that announcement is coming soon.
