Horror's Two Biggest Scream Queens Finally Share a Screen in Shudder's River

Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe have each carved out legendary status in modern horror. Levy terrorized audiences in Evil Dead Rise. Rothe broke the slasher mold entirely with Happy Death Day. For years, fans have wondered what would happen if these two forces of nature ever appeared in the same film. The wait is almost over — and the results are opening night of TIFF's Midnight Madness.

The Setup: A Family Trip Gone Horribly Wrong

River follows three estranged siblings who reunite after the death of their father. To honor his memory, they set out on a river boat trip to scatter his ashes at his favorite remote spot — somewhere deep in the West Virginia wilderness, miles from help and far beyond any cell signal.

When their boat breaks down beneath a derelict bridge, the siblings are stranded. And they quickly realize they are not alone.

A mysterious, faceless killer has been watching them from the shoreline. He does not rush. He does not speak. He simply waits — and then closes in.

Levy and Rothe play two of the siblings, joined by Max Mattern as their brother. The killer is portrayed by Dane DiLiegro, whose towering 6'9" frame made him unforgettable as the creature in Prey (2022). Here, DiLiegro trades the alien for something arguably more unnerving: a human predator with no face, no motive given to us, and no mercy.

Six Years in the Making

River comes from director Joshua Giuliano in his feature debut — a project he worked on for six years before finally seeing it through to the screen.

"RIVER was six years in the making, a labor of love that culminated in the most rewarding experience of my life," Giuliano said. "Working with Shudder has been a thrilling collaboration and knowing RIVER will have a theatrical release is a dream come true."

That patience shows in the producer lineup. Steven Schneider — the producer behind Insidious and Get Out, two of the defining horror films of the last two decades — is aboard through his Spooky Pictures banner. Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund of Chucky and Channel Zero fame are producing through Eat the Cat. These are not names attached to throwaway genre product. They know how to build dread.

Nicholas Lazo, Shudder's Vice President of Development and Production, put it plainly: "Josh is a striking new voice in horror. His simultaneously beautiful and horrifying script captivated us from page one."

Opening Midnight Madness — This Matters

Landing the opening night slot at TIFF's Midnight Madness is a serious signal. This is the same programming track that has launched The Babadook, You're Next, Raw, and Hereditary into the cultural conversation. Midnight Madness programmers do not hand their marquee slot to anything they aren't convinced will leave the audience shaken.

River will also screen at Fantastic Fest, another festival with a reputation for finding the genre films that matter before everyone else does. The theatrical release — through Independent Film Company — will follow the festival circuit before the film hits Shudder.

Why This Pairing Works

Levy and Rothe represent two distinct schools of modern horror heroism. Levy's characters tend to be survivors who endure punishment and keep coming — she absorbs horror and pushes back with raw, almost feral intensity. Rothe, by contrast, built her career on the smart, self-aware scream queen: someone who reads the situation, adapts, and uses her wits. Put them together as family members with a complicated history, stranded in the same nightmare, and the dynamic tension practically writes itself.

The "estranged siblings" framing adds another layer. Horror works best when the external threat surfaces an internal wound. Whatever drove these three apart matters as much as the thing hunting them.

Add DiLiegro's presence as the killer — faceless, enormous, patient — and you have a physical antagonist who operates on pure menace. There's no mask to unmask. No name to learn. Just a figure at the tree line who keeps getting closer.

What to Watch For

River premieres at TIFF 2026's Midnight Madness opening night in September, followed by Fantastic Fest, and then a theatrical and Shudder streaming release. No exact streaming date has been confirmed, but based on Shudder's typical festival-to-platform pipeline, expect it before the end of 2026 — potentially timed to the Halloween season.

For anyone who has been waiting for Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe to finally share the screen, the wait is almost over. And if the pedigree of the talent behind and in front of the camera is any guide, River is going to matter.

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