Family trauma is nothing new when it comes to horror but there is a reason so many filmmakers keep coming back to it and the pain it brings along. Three siblings set along for a boat ride down a local river to eulogize their deceased father all before finding out the heartache of their grief is the least of their worries. Directed by Joshua Giuliano, RIVER is the rare slasher nowadays that understand something very important; less is more. Slasher films today seem to be focused on bringing back old IP whether it be a reboot or legacy sequel. Most of these modern day slashers feel like the audience is too uninterested in watching someone run slowly away from a knife wielding killer, so instead they choose the once entertaining but now eye rolling meta behavior. The irony filled sarcasm that comes from characters knowing how to survive a horror film feels more interested in claiming film reference knowledge than actual entertainment. Thankfully RIVER has no sense of irony or self-awareness and its characters are never ahead of the game. It’s biggest frights come out of the confusion the characters feel and the questions they must quickly answer. Why them? What is this thing hunting them? And most importantly can it be killed?
For Lucy (jane Levy) none of this matter yet, what matters is her father has died and her younger brother Drew (Max Mattern) isn’t taking it well. To make things more complicated her estranged sister Carla (Jessica Rothe) has arrived for their boat ride memorial that for Lucy feels all too convenient. In Lucy’s mind Carla was never around so why bother showing up and worse disrespecting their alcoholic father. Rothe and Levy have both found themselves carrying the mantle of final girl in their own respected horror films, but to see them team up is a delight for horror fans even if their characters are at odds. Rothe and Levy do not miss a beat and are cast well in their roles of wild child and elder daughter trying to keep it all together. Aided by Mattern’s Drew who feels like a lost puppy this trio is easy to fall for and will bring up familiar memories of one’s own family and siblings.
It isn’t long down the river until they come across a mysterious man (Dane DiLegro) starring them down. To see someone on the river isn’t unusual but the film never hides its uneasy intentions. The Man with just his swim trunks as attire is far less unusual than say a Jason, but DiLegro’s stillness in playing him only brings up more questions of dread. What brings out the tension more is Giuliano and his cinematographer Nick Matthews use of spaces. The duo knows a river does end and normally is not seen as terrifying as an ocean. Lost down the river and lost at sea are two very different demons yet the film is blocked in a way where the river does seem endless and more so safety is nowhere to be found. Added to these frightening elements is the use of sound that feels as if you’re wearing a pair of noise cancelling headphones while the sounds of branches crunching and bones smashing blend into one. But what brings RIVER to an entirely different level of fear is not just The Man trialing our trio but also how it seems he can control the river and nature itself. Now before one assumes RIVER is diving into supernatural territory it seems to be far more mysterious than just a simple answer. Giuliano’s script doesn’t spend a whole lot of time world building and thankfully so because even if the unknown of this mystery figure is terrifying what is happening in the now for our trio if just as nerve wracking.
RIVER brings back old school backwoods horror as every element around Lucy, Drew and Carla work against them. The river is too far to swim, the sun has gone down and of course the boat is out of gas. But Rothe, Levy and Mattern play their characters as resourceful even if always terrified. Evan as the weak link in the chain Drew is never a character of lesser value. There is a wonderful sense of comradery that can only happen between siblings, sure they bicker and mock but nothing brings family closer than a psycho killer on the loose. RIVER throws a lot at these characters and its mean spirit is quickly realized but the fear that many studios have of slashers being outdated are nonexistent here. Everything about RIVER feels believable even in the moments of pure unknown.
RIVER however while playing it simple knows it has a few delightful surprises up its sleeve. It may not be interested in full world building (a smart choice), but it does have ideas of expanding its killer. This is also just a practice in good script choices. Leave the audience wanting more but always understanding that holding everything back just annoys many. RIVER shows its hand while still tricking you in making you feel like you’re in control. Even as our characters get some (short lived) upper hand Guiliano knows that the best slashers come from a horrifying idea that surviving is never winning. The pain or trio brought down the river will forever be a cake walk from what they are encounter and worse what is still left to come. RIVER is a trip more than worth taking and hopefully becomes a new bizarre face in horror.
A-
RIVER SCREENED AT THE BROOKLYN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL AS A SURPRISE SCREENING. IT WILL BE RELEASED IN THEATERS FROM BLUMHOUSE JANUARY 15, 2027
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