Story perspectives

“River” Opens TIFF Midnight Madness With Shudder Deal

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 11:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Joshua Giuliano’s slasher River opened TIFF’s Midnight Madness program.
Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe and Max Mattern portray estranged siblings scattering their father’s ashes.
Former basketball player Dane DiLiegro plays the faceless, Predator-style river killer.
Shudder and Independent Film Company supplied the Shudder Original label and theatrical distribution for River.
River will have its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, September 17-24.

History

Historical Context

In 1978 John Carpenter’s low-budget slasher Halloween earned about $70 million worldwide, proving one of the most profitable independent films and launching the modern slasher boom. The success prompted Toronto International Film Festival to create a Midnight Madness program in 1999 for genre titles. That legacy frames the debut of Joshua Giuliano’s River at TIFF’s Midnight Madness, positioning it for similar cult and streaming traction.

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Story summary

Joshua Giuliano’s slasher River opened TIFF’s Midnight Madness program.
Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe and Max Mattern portray estranged siblings scattering their father’s ashes.
Former basketball player Dane DiLiegro plays the faceless, Predator-style river killer.
Shudder and Independent Film Company supplied the Shudder Original label and theatrical distribution for River.
River will have its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, September 17-24.

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