The first official trailer for River dropped this morning, giving horror audiences their clearest look yet at the survival slasher that tore through the festival circuit this fall.
Written and directed by Joshua Giuliano in his feature debut, River follows three estranged siblings who reunite to scatter their late father’s ashes along a remote river, only to find themselves stranded with no cell service and stalked by a masked assailant emerging from the woods. Old grudges get shelved fast once the body count starts climbing.
The cast is led by Jane Levy (Evil Dead) and Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day), with Max Mattern (Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy) and Dane DiLiegro (Prey) rounding out the group of siblings and the threat stalking them. Specific character names have not been made public.
River premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this past September to strong reviews before a run through Fantastic Fest, with IFC Films and Shudder originally picking it up for release. Universal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster have since stepped in for a wide theatrical rollout, reportedly paying more than $10 million to acquire the film, and have locked in a January 15, 2027 release date. The MPA has rated it R, for strong bloody violence, grisly images and language, a promise the trailer’s early kills make good on almost immediately. Horror fans eager for a lean, nasty slasher have a new date to mark their calendars.
