How ‘River’ Director Joshua Giuliano Made a ‘Beautiful, Brutal’ Slasher With Two Modern Scream Queens and a ‘Terrifying’ Villain

Sep 10, 2026 9:00am PT How ‘River’ Director Joshua Giuliano Made a ‘Beautiful, Brutal’ Slasher With Two Modern Scream Queens and a ‘Terrifying’ Villain

By William Earl

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William Earl

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Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder

In Joshua Giuliano’s debut feature “River,” the line between beauty and carnage is razor thin.

The slasher film, set to premiere Sept. 10 at the Toronto International Film Festival, concerns a trio of siblings (Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe and Max Mattern) who, after a tense reunion, take their father’s boat downriver in order to spread his ashes. But after they spot a masked man staring at them from the shore, things go bad quickly.

How ‘River’ Director Joshua Giuliano Made a ‘Beautiful, Brutal’ Slasher With Two Modern Scream Queens and a ‘Terrifying’ Villain

William Earl

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