River, the survival slasher that Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster acquired for more than $10 million following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, now has a theatrical release date. Deadline reports that the film will hit theatres on January 15, 2027, during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
Written and directed by Joshua Giuliano, River stars Jane Levy (Evil Dead), Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day), Max Mattern (Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy), and Dane DiLiegro (Prey). Universal already had the January 15 date on hold for a Blumhouse title before River was acquired.
What is River about?
River follows three estranged siblings who reunite after the death of their father to scatter his ashes at his favorite spot on a remote river. Their trip takes a terrifying turn when their boat breaks down, leaving them stranded on the waterway as they discover that masked killers are stalking them from the shore.
JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray reviewed River out of TIFF, giving the film a 7/10 and calling it a brutal, well-made survival slasher. His review praised Giuliano’s direction, the performances from Levy, Rothe, and Mattern, and the film’s gore.
River is Joshua Giuliano’s first feature
River marks Giuliano’s feature directorial debut, although the filmmaker was already on Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s radar before the acquisition.
Giuliano developed River during his time at Shudder, where he worked with Sam Zimmerman, the genre executive who oversees Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s indie filmmaking efforts. That existing relationship helped connect the filmmaker with the company before River premiered at TIFF.
The collaboration between Giuliano and Blumhouse Atomic Monster is also continuing beyond River. The filmmaker is already attached to Occupant, another horror movie being produced by Blumhouse Atomic Monster, Divide/Conquer, and Spooky Pictures.
When does River come out?
River will be released in theatres on January 15, 2027.
Universal has positioned River for the 2027 MLK holiday weekend, where it will open alongside several other new releases, including Children of Blood and Bone, The Beekeeper 2, and Fing!. A Shudder streaming release date has not yet been announced.
Are you looking forward to catching River on the big screen in January 2027? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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