‘River’ Trailer Sends Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe Into Survival Horror

A family farewell becomes a fight to stay alive in the first trailer for River, the upcoming survival slasher starring Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe, which will reach cinemas in January 2027 following a high-profile festival launch and a fiercely contested distribution deal.

Written and directed by Joshua Giuliano in his feature debut, the film follows three estranged siblings who reunite to scatter their late father’s ashes on a remote river. What should be a difficult but relatively straightforward journey takes a violent turn when their boat breaks down, leaving them stranded and exposed to a faceless killer.

Levy stars as Lucy alongside Rothe as Carla and Max Mattern as Drew, with Dane DiLiegro taking on the role of the killer.

The casting gives River two leads with considerable horror credentials. Levy previously fronted Fede Álvarez’s Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe, while Rothe is best known to genre audiences for playing Tree Gelbman in Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U.

For Giuliano, River expands ideas he previously explored in his 2018 short In Sound, We Live Forever. That film attracted attention on the festival circuit for its use of sound within the slasher format, with River now taking the concept into feature-length territory.

Production took place primarily in Monongalia County and Marion County, West Virginia, during 2025. Nick Matthews served as cinematographer, with Thom Newell editing and Mondo Boys providing the score. Steven Schneider, Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund are among the producers, while Jason Blum serves as an executive producer through Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.

The film made its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2026, where the response helped trigger an unusual rush for its distribution rights.

Initially backed by Independent Film Company and Shudder, River subsequently attracted interest from several major companies. A bidding battle followed, with Universal Pictures ultimately securing theatrical distribution in a deal reportedly worth more than $10 million, while Blumhouse and Atomic Monster joined the project. The film later made its US premiere at Fantastic Fest.

That progression gives Giuliano’s first feature a considerably larger theatrical platform than might have been expected from its beginnings as a contained survival slasher, with Universal now positioning the film for an early 2027 release.

The first trailer is available now, with River arriving in cinemas on 15 January 2027. We’ll share more news as it comes.

River trailer