River (2027): Release Date, Is It Scary, and When It Streams

River opens in US theaters on Friday, January 15, 2027, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The Numbers lists it as a wide release from Universal.

Before Universal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster bought it, Independent Film Company was set to release it in theaters, and Shudder was to release it as a Shudder Original, according to Dread Central.

As of October 9, 2026, it is scheduled as the centerpiece film of the Telluride Horror Show in Colorado, October 16 to 18, 2026.

As of October 9, 2026, no digital rental, purchase or streaming date has been announced, and neither Universal nor Shudder has said which streaming service will carry it.

For comparison, Wolf Man, a Universal and Blumhouse horror film, opened in theaters on January 17, 2025, reached digital rental on February 4, 2025, and started streaming on Peacock on April 18, 2025. River's dates may differ.

This page and the film page will be updated when a trailer or a home release date is announced.

The synopsis on TMDB: "After being stranded in a boat on a country river, three siblings are stalked by a faceless killer."

Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe play sisters, and Max Mattern plays their younger brother. According to Dread Central, the film is based on Giuliano's 2018 short film In Sound, We Live Forever.

It has no Watch Darkly score yet.

It is rated R for strong bloody violence, some grisly images and language. TIFF's content advisory lists explicit violence, accident trauma, coarse language, mature themes and strobing effects.

On October 9, 2026, it had a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 31 reviews. Fangoria wrote that River "is actually scary." Inverse called it "a bloody, shocking, and very fun ride." Geek Vibes Nation said it is "not as scary as it intends to be" but called it "a brutal, atmospheric horror film."

Its Fear, Gore, Atmosphere and Intensity scores will go on the film page once it has been watched.

Giuliano sold River as a spec script in 2019, when he was making short films and working as a Postmates driver, according to JoBlo, citing Deadline. In November 2025, Independent Film Company and Shudder announced it as a Shudder Original Production.

Screen Daily reported that Independent Film Company and Shudder still held the US rights when the film premiered at TIFF. Universal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster reached a deal days later, reportedly for more than $10 million. JoBlo, citing Deadline, reported that Sony was the last competing bidder, with an $8 million offer.

Joshua Giuliano studied film at Taylor University and the American Film Institute. Before River he directed short films including In Sound, We Live Forever (2018) and Tiny Thing (2023). His next film, Occupant, is also with Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Spooky Pictures.

The producers are Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, whose earlier films include Insidious and Paranormal Activity, and Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund of Eat the Cat, whose credits include Brand New Cherry Flavor and Chucky.

Jane Levy starred in Evil Dead (2013) and Don't Breathe (2016). Jessica Rothe starred in Happy Death Day (2017) and its 2019 sequel.

TIFF and Rotten Tomatoes list this film as River (2026), the year of its festival premiere. Its US release is in 2027.

Several other films share the title. River (2015) is a Canadian thriller directed by Jamie M. Dagg and starring Rossif Sutherland. It also premiered at TIFF. River (2023) is a Japanese comedy directed by Junta Yamaguchi. River is also a 2015 BBC One crime drama series with Stellan Skarsgård and Nicola Walker.