Film Review: The River

A quiet, peaceful river can be quite a beautiful thing. However, in short horror film The River, by local production company Superfreak Media, this gentle piece of nature is turned into a creepy nightmare, especially for those that traverse it. 

This idea that a river is instead dangerous is set up even before the main terror is shown. Throughout the opening credits, the well-known and effective use of a kids' song makes the situation creepy seconds before anything is on screen.

The film, thankfully, relies on building an atmosphere to enhance its horror, building off audience anticipation over the fact that they know something bad will happen, they’re just not sure when. Jump scares are used extremely sparingly, and are properly earned - because of this, when they’re used, they’re effective, and not just cheap gimmicks.  

This sense of anticipation is built effectively, with the music doing much of the heavy lifting. Location is also hugely important in film, and here is an example of it being done well.

The tension is built for the perfect amount of time, allowing the audience to be fully immersed in what’s about to happen. Horror films often find themselves in a situation where the tension isn’t teased for long enough, or for too long, losing their grip on the viewer. Luckily, both situations are avoided.  

Sarah Wynne Kordas does an excellent portrayal of the main character, Sarah, quickly making the audience care about her. In such a short like this, establishing an emotional connection to those on the other side of the screen is vital, and this is achieved effectively here. 

Through the use of building tension in a normally beautiful, quiet, mundane location, The River crafts a great short horror and avoids the pitfall of an over-reliance on jump scares.

The River is now available to watch on YouTube