One of the buzziest new horror movies premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026 was River, a modern slasher film with a unique premise. Debuting at TIFF in the same Midnight Madness program that screened Obsession last year, River pits its characters against a faceless killer on the open water.
While on the red carpet at TIFF for River's premiere, cast members Jane Levy, Max Mattern, Dane DiLiegro, and director Joshua Giuliano spoke to The Direct about their up-and-coming new horror, which was quickly acquired by Blumhouse after its world premiere.
Stars Levy and Mattern said filming on the water provided a "really unique place" and that the setting became "its own character." Meanwhile, Giuliano said directing a film set on a river was "the most difficult thing I've ever done."
DiLiegro, who plays River mysterious and ominous killer, said that he wanted to add some "humanistic" elements to his character, adding that he's "definitely psycho, terrifying, murderous, [and] malevolent."
The full quotes from our River interviews are below, along with the full red-carpet video. River premiered at TIFF on September 10 and has yet to receive a theatrical release date.
The Challenges of River's Unique Setting
"I Always Think That When There’s Restrictions, It Makes for a Lot of Creativity..."
- The Direct: "One of the unique aspects of this film is that it's set on the open water. Did filming in that environment bring out any horror stories of its own during production?"
Jane Levy: I was nine months postpartum while we were shooting this movie, and I was still breastfeeding, so there was a lot of being stuck on a boat in the middle of a river for hours at a time, where I would be putting on a smock, and wearing that and pumping on a boat with four men, which was actually pretty sweet, and I really respect and am thankful for the crew on this movie for giving me the time to feed my child.
But, besides that, I mean, it was just such a beautiful setting. Driving a boat is extremely fun. I always think that when there's restrictions, it makes for a lot of creativity, and I think it's a really unique place to be set for a movie.
Max Mattern: We got very lucky. I mean, the water was its own character, and for some reason, we just got really lucky and it was cooperative. It brought an element that was authentic and unpredictable, but we were able to capture something that was neat.
Joshua Giuliano: It was the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. Shooting on the water slows down the things you can do by half, and moving a boat around on a river, like imagine how big a movie crew is, and then placing them on the water, they all have their own boats. You have to coordinate these boats. If you look in one direction and then want to turn around and look the other way, it's more than just turning the camera around. You have to move the entire village on the water to the other side.
So it's just incredibly time-consuming, and safety is paramount, and so everything is being taken into account. It is just slower, and it's more difficult, but very rewarding when you get what you want.
The Heroes & Villains and River
“My Approach Was a Little More Humanistic...”
River is centered around three siblings who find themselves adrift on a river, where all manner of lingering family squabbles threaten to topple them.
Levy, Mattern, and Jessica Rothe portray the familial trio, with Mattern describing his character as a "sensitive soul," while Levy's character is the one who has been "left at home and feels resentment:"
Max Mattern: Well, Drew is a sensitive soul. He's struggling at that moment, and he loves both of his sisters dearly.
Jane Levy: I play the sibling that's sort of left at home and feels resentment. This is about brokenness in a family and repair within a family–in the context of lots of murder.
DiLiegro (known for his role as the Predator in Prey) had the task of playing River's killer, who threatens the family from the shore. Described as a palpable, anonymous malevolence, DiLiegro said he tried to bring some "humanistic personality" to his villain.
- The Direct: "The slasher genre is filled with ominous killers, we have Michael Myers, Ghostface, etc. Your killer has been described as an 'anonymous ominous malevolence.' How does he stand apart from those other horror killers?"
Dane DiLiegro: I mean, you're talking about some iconic horror antagonists, which are almost incomparable to this character that I portrayed. But I did my best. What's interesting about him is I feel like he has a little bit of humanistic personality to him. I mean, for me, the way I approached it was that I was just a normal guy–that's how I felt, at least–who had some malintent.
There are a lot of characters you can play when it comes to non-human characters, which I do a lot, or masked characters, where you are that thing. My approach was a little more humanistic, I suppose. You know, but definitely psycho, terrifying, murderous, malevolent is, yeah, pretty on par.
A New Addition to the Modern Slasher Genre
"The Horror Genre at Its Core Is About the Unrelenting Pursuit of Death..."
- The Direct: "The slasher genre is one that's endured the test of time. When you're approaching it in the modern day, now in 2026, what is something that you really wanted to explore in the genre that felt fresh?"
Joshua Giuliano: I think it's stripping it back to its roots. I think the horror genre, at its core, is about the unrelenting pursuit of death. These masked characters, I think, are stand-ins for death, and even if you kill them, they come back in the sequels. I think I wanted to strip this film down to three key elements: characters we care about, an interesting setting, and a terrifying villain. With that in mind, I just wanted to do something incredibly minimalist and pure, and in as sincere a manner as possible, try to scare the audience.
The full interviews can be seen below:
