After its sleek title treatment locks viewers into a supremely entertaining horror experience, Joshua Giuliano demonstrates in his feature directorial debut, River, that he understands how to best generate fear in his audience.

River opens with the aftermath of a murder. As the camera immersively moves around the scene of the incident, the audio of the attack on two young lovers having a picnic by a lake plays out for the audience to hear in gruesome detail, but not see what they experienced. Establishing a tone that differentiates itself from other entries in the slasher genre, Giuliano’s restraint reminds the viewer that the implication of violence is often more frightening than actually seeing it happen. 

It’s a different approach from other slashers like Halloween (1978), Terrifier (2016), or even In a Violent Nature (2024), which had a similarly distinct vision that didn’t work quite as well. Giuliano’s goal of making the audience feel a different kind of intensity around violence in River feels original and works so well that it’s a shame he doesn’t use the opening tactic more throughout the movie.

Once the cold open wraps, viewers meet siblings Lucy (Jane Levy), Carla (Jessica Rothe), and Drew (Max Mattern) as the trio prepares to launch into a river to spread their late father’s ashes. As soon as their boat enters the river, they encounter something strange. An off-putting man wearing a mask stands near the shore watching them. 

In another fantastic choice by Giuliano, the viewer sees the man from the siblings’ perspective, which, from their point of view, is far away. Although they seem a safe distance from him, it’s unsettling to see him just standing there, stalking them like a predator with nothing but grass and trees around him. It’s even more unnerving when he eventually dives into the water to chase after them in the film’s first thrillingly chilling moment.

After the boat suffers abrupt engine trouble, the trio gets stranded in the middle of the river. When night falls, a second masked individual, this one a woman wielding a crossbow, presents herself. After the man and woman seemingly perform a cult-like ritual, the area around them is suddenly plunged into darkness, leaving the siblings even more vulnerable than before. A nail-biting sequence in which one of the killers shoots flares into the sky to give the other enough light for a clear shot further showcases Nick Matthews’ phenomenal cinematography and lighting.

For a while, it appears the brother and sisters may be doomed to a bloody, watery fate. However, plot conveniences get them out of the river and on the run as their pursuers calmly chase after them in the style of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. The killers’ physicality, especially from the man played by Dane DiLiegro, is just as fearsome as those iconic slashers who inspired them. Although River is at its best when it takes place in the titular body of water, the second half still delivers plenty of fun thrills and twists to keep the momentum going.

Regardless of where the characters are running from their pursuers, all three performers are excellent. No stranger to the role of scream queen after starring in Evil Dead (2013) and Don’t Breathe (2016), Levy assuredly plays the part of a capable fighter against the world, or in this case, persistent murderers. She handles the dramatic aspects of her character’s relationship dynamics equally well, recognizing that neither she nor her siblings had a particularly happy childhood. Lucy is patient with Drew and Carla, yet stern for their survival when necessary.

Mattern earns a lot of laughs as Drew, who’s essentially the comic relief for much of the feature. Drew bumbles through almost every situation, but he cares about those around him even if he makes it seem like he doesn’t or is sometimes too frozen from fear to do anything to help them. As funny a presence as he is, he somehow escapes a deadly situation offscreen, then returns when it’s most convenient for the plot, which is extremely distracting.

Carla has a similar moment, which isn’t quite as egregious, but still a head-scratcher. Carla is dealing with grief in her own way, but largely putting herself on an island away from her brother and sister. Rothe, who returns to horror after starring in the Happy Death Day movies, exhibits emotional complexity in more character-driven moments, along with strong physicality during the intense chase scenes.

A layer of realism that significantly contributes to the tone, style, and atmosphere is that everything in River was shot on location, utilizing real stunts and practical effects. When the characters are in the water, it actually feels like they’re in the middle of a river, swimming away from a masked killer. When a burning body hangs over the edge of a bridge in a particularly shocking moment, real flames are spewing from its corpse as it hangs off an actual bridge. The effort to create a tangible sense of dread pays off.

As satisfying and unique as the menacing murderers are, their motivations and seemingly supernatural abilities could have used much further explanation. As the film goes along, certain things are revealed about them, but these reveals create even more questions. It might have served the story better if these slashers were treated merely as two random killers murdering people for the love of it. But Giuliano makes it clear that something deeper is going on, though he never fully reveals what it is. 

The ending suggests he could save those reveals for a sequel. After its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster picked up the film. With this development, Giuliano’s sequel ideas could be realized if the movie does well in theaters. Until then, viewers will have to deal with certain elements being vaguely uncertain.

River is a feature debut that understands what makes the horror genre powerful and singular. Through inventive, tension-fueled frights, the movie constantly evolves from what it starts as into something more intriguing. Even if not every question viewers may have is answered by the end, certain elements could be further explored, potentially in a sequel. Especially for a first-time filmmaker, Giuliano establishes himself as a new voice with much more to say in the future.

Review Courtesy of Evan Miller

Feature Image Credit to Independent Film Company/Shudder via TIFF