There is only so much filmmakers can do within the slasher genre before they begin retracing someone else’s bloody footsteps. “In a Violent Nature” remains one of the strongest recent attempts to disrupt the formula, telling much of its story from the perspective of the masked killer rather than his victims. Writer-director Joshua Giuliano’s feature debut, “River,” does not reinvent the slasher in quite the same way, but it understands how to work within those familiar conventions while still finding opportunities to subvert expectations. It also brings together two of today’s most accomplished scream queens, Jessica Rothe and Jane Levy, whose presence gives this survival thriller some much-needed force. It has the makings to become a new slasher classic.
And that slasher pedigree is well earned. Rothe made a name for herself through the popular “Happy Death Day” films, while Levy endured the blood-soaked 2013 remake of “Evil Dead” before fighting off a blind man and a turkey baster in “Don’t Breathe.” Putting them together for the first time immediately gives “River” more personality than the routine slash-and-dash movies audiences have grown accustomed to seeing. More importantly, Giuliano does not treat their casting as a novelty. Rothe and Levy are allowed to play complicated, emotionally guarded women whose fractured relationship gives the carnage a stronger foundation than the screenplay might otherwise support.
They convincingly capture the prickly cadence of estranged sisters Carla and Lucy, who return to their hometown to scatter their late father’s ashes along the river where he spent much of his life. They are joined by their younger brother Drew, played with warmth and vulnerability by Max Mattern, although none of the siblings has particularly fond memories of their father or one another. What should be a solemn attempt at closure instead reopens old wounds, allowing years of resentment to surface before anyone has the emotional tools to address them.
That difficult reunion is violently interrupted when their boat dies in the middle of the river. As the siblings attempt to reach safety, they discover two masked killers waiting for them on opposite banks, effectively turning the water into a trap. The primary attacker, a towering figure played by the 6-foot-8 Dane DiLiegro, brings an imposing physicality to the movie even when the reasons behind the assault remain deliberately unclear.
The influence of “Friday the 13th” and countless wilderness slashers is obvious, but Giuliano wisely avoids burdening the killers with an elaborate backstory or a lengthy monologue explaining every grievance. “River” operates according to the frighteningly simple idea that people can find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and be forced to fight their way out. That lack of explanation gives the violence an unsettling randomness while keeping the movie focused on the siblings and the survival instincts they may have inherited from the man they came there to mourn.
Shot on location in the swamps of West Virginia, “River” makes excellent use of its damp, isolated surroundings. Giuliano finds genuine tension in the deceptively calm water, dense woods and muddy shorelines, transforming the environment into something almost as threatening as the people hunting these characters. The opening sequence is especially effective because it withholds the violence itself, showing us only the aftermath while the accompanying audio allows us to imagine what happened. It is a clever piece of editing that immediately establishes the movie’s mean streak and demonstrates Giuliano’s understanding that what remains unseen can sometimes be more disturbing than another explicit kill.
Of course, “River” still embraces many of the genre’s most recognizable contrivances. A desperate escape is complicated by a car that will not start. A 911 call fails at precisely the worst moment. Characters occasionally display a baffling lack of urgency while masked killers slowly close in on them. These moments make it difficult for the movie to escape the mechanics of the formula, and its thematic ideas about violence being inherited and passed through generations are more compelling in concept than they are fully developed on screen.
Still, there is something refreshing about the simplicity of Giuliano’s approach. He patiently draws us into the strained family dynamic before tightening the movie into a brutal fight for survival, delivering several gnarly kills without allowing the gore to become the film’s only attraction. Rothe and Levy bring conviction to material that could have easily become disposable, while Mattern helps preserve the emotional stakes as the siblings’ unresolved history collides with the immediate threat surrounding them.
“River” may not fundamentally alter the course of the slasher genre, but it shows that familiar material can still draw blood when handled with confidence, atmosphere and the right performers. Giuliano demonstrates a sharp understanding of pacing and tension, along with an ability to pull the rug out from under the audience without abandoning the straightforward pleasures of the genre. The result is a bloody good time that leaves enough water flowing beneath its story to support future installments. If “River” continues downstream, I will gladly follow it.
RIVER had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Universal Pictures and Blumhouse picked it up for distribution with plans to release it in the future.