The River trailer has arrived, and Blumhouse is kicking off 2027’s horror calendar with a splash of blood. Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster released the first official trailer this week for River, the new slasher that pairs two of modern horror’s most beloved scream queens — Jane Levy (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) and Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day) — as estranged siblings stranded on a remote river and hunted by a masked killer. The film opens exclusively in theaters on January 15, 2027, Hypebeast reported.

The trailer lands just weeks after River broke out at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it premiered in the Midnight Madness program and emerged as one of the festival’s biggest genre hits, according to GeekTyrant. For a movie that started life six years ago as a small Shudder original, the leap to a global Universal theatrical rollout — on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, no less — marks one of the more remarkable horror success stories of the year.

The River Trailer: Three Siblings, One Broken Boat

The footage opens the way all good river trips do — calm, sweeping shots of open water — before descending into chaos and terror, FictionHorizon noted in its trailer breakdown. The official synopsis from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster sets the scene in four short sentences: “The sun is down. The boat is dead. There’s no cell service. And there’s someone standing, staring, from the shore.”

The story follows three estranged siblings, played by Levy, Rothe, and Max Mattern, who return to their rural hometown after their father’s death. They set out on a remote river to scatter his ashes at his favorite spot, but the trip turns into a fight for survival when their boat breaks down — with no cell service — and a disturbing masked figure begins hunting them through the isolated backcountry, BroadwayWorld reported.

It is a deliberately simple, almost old-school setup, and that appears to be the point. The isolated river location makes escape feel impossible, GeekTyrant wrote, with the killer seemingly determined to make sure nobody gets out alive. The film is rated R for strong bloody violence, some grisly images, and language, according to FictionHorizon.

River’s Cast: Two Scream Queens and a Masked Killer

Few casting pairings have generated this much instant excitement among horror fans. Jane Levy earned her scream-queen status headlining Fede Álvarez’s Evil Dead remake and carrying the survival thriller Don’t Breathe; Jessica Rothe became a fan favorite anchoring the Happy Death Day films. FictionHorizon noted that horror fans have long wanted to see the two face off against a killer together — and River finally makes it happen.

They are joined by Max Mattern (Cape Fear, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy) as the third sibling, while Dane DiLiegro — the 6-foot-9 performer who played the Feral Predator in Prey and has appeared in Only Murders in the Building — portrays the masked figure stalking the shore, per BroadwayWorld’s casting breakdown.

Behind the camera is writer-director Joshua Giuliano, making his feature directorial debut after a run of short films. The project has been a long time coming: it was first announced in 2019, with Giuliano set to write and direct and Nick Antosca producing through his Eat the Cat banner. “‘River’ was six years in the making, a labor of love that culminated in the most rewarding experience of my life,” Giuliano said in a statement to Variety when the cast was announced, as quoted by FictionHorizon.

From a 2019 Announcement to a Blumhouse Theatrical Release

River was shot in Wadestown, West Virginia, a remote location that FictionHorizon reports plays a huge role in heightening the tension throughout the trailer. The film premiered in TIFF’s Midnight Madness program on September 10 and quickly became one of the breakout genre hits of the festival — the kind of word-of-mouth launch that gets studios reaching for their checkbooks.

The checkbook, in this case, belonged to Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster, which acquired the film for a global theatrical rollout in a deal reportedly worth more than $10 million, according to FictionHorizon. The movie was originally produced as a Shudder Original, and Universal, Blumhouse Atomic Monster, and Independent Film Company are presenting the Shudder Original production in association with Upgrade, per BroadwayWorld.

The producing team is stacked with genre credentials: Steven Schneider (Insidious, Split) via his Spooky Pictures banner, alongside Antosca and Alex Hedlund via Eat the Cat. Jason Blum serves as an executive producer through Blumhouse Atomic Monster, with Jeffrey Tinnell, Robert Tinnell, Matt Brodlie, Jonathan Kier, and Ben Ross also executive producing, Hypebeast reported. The film features cinematography by Nick Matthews, editing by Thom Newell, and music by the Mondo Boys.

The January 15, 2027 date is a canny piece of scheduling — the MLK holiday weekend has become reliable counter-programming territory, and planting a buzzy slasher there gives River a clear runway with no major horror competition. It continues what has been a landmark stretch for Blumhouse, whose Halloween-season slate included the Jessica Chastain-led Other Mommy (read our coverage of Blumhouse’s Other Mommy).

Early Reviews: A TIFF Midnight Madness Breakout

The critical response out of TIFF suggests the trailer’s promise is real. JoBlo’s review gave the movie a 7 out of 10, calling it a brutal and well-made survival slasher while highlighting Giuliano’s direction, the gore, and the performances from Levy, Rothe, and Mattern, per FictionHorizon. Bloody Disgusting praised the film for embracing classic slasher conventions to build tension at a brisk and steady pace.

ShowbizJunkies reported that the film sat at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes following its festival premiere — an exceptionally strong number for a debut feature — and noted that other critics featured in the trailer described it as a savage and visceral horror experience. The official trailer’s own marketing leans into the hype: its YouTube description quotes TheWrap saying River “will drown you in pure terror.”

If the buzz holds through January, River could become the first word-of-mouth horror hit of 2027 — a year that is already shaping up as a crowded one for the genre, with titles like Robert Eggers’ Werwulf (see our Werwulf trailer coverage) staking out the holiday corridor. For now, horror fans have a date to circle: January 15, when the sun goes down, the boat dies, and there’s someone standing, staring, from the shore.

River Trailer: FAQ

When does River come out?
River opens exclusively in theaters on January 15, 2027, over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, according to Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster.

What is River about?
Three estranged siblings return to their rural hometown after their father’s death and set out on a remote river to scatter his ashes. When their boat breaks down with no cell service, a disturbing masked figure begins hunting them.

Who stars in River?
Jane Levy (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe), Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day), and Max Mattern play the siblings; Dane DiLiegro (Prey) plays the masked killer. It is the feature directorial debut of writer-director Joshua Giuliano.

Is River rated R?
Yes. The film is rated R for strong bloody violence, some grisly images, and language, according to FictionHorizon’s coverage.