Reasons To Watch The River

The Israeli-born director made audiences fear the dark with his Paranormal Activity films and now he's bringing his formula to ABC. At it's core, The River feels like the offspring of his Paranormal Activity movies and LOST. It's packed with jump scares from supernatural elements and focused on an ongoing mystery in an exotic location. Reviews have been mostly positive, so it looks like the popular director was so far able to duplicate his success.

We're in an era that loves found footage. To many, it helps them feel like they're part of the experience. To others, it makes them feel like they're watching everything unfold on Youtube. The rough quality and perspectives can make things difficult to understand at times, but that's all part of the illusion and keeps you on edge with the feeling that something can happen at any second. The River isn't limited to just two cameraman, though. Their ship is laced with hidden cameras because the vessel was used for a reality explorer show. This helps the restricted format and allows for a wider range of shots.

Nothing rips you out of a story experience more than thinking about an actor's other roles. That isn't the case with The River. Not including familiar faces everyone will immediately recognize boosts the feeling that the mystical event is actually taking place and you're in the middle of it. Aside from Bruce Greenwood (Dr. Emmet Cole) and Thomas Kretschmann (Captain Kurt Brynildson), it's unlikely the majority of the audience have their minds stray elsewhere about the other actors.

The River lives up to the horror genre by placing the characters in a foreign environment packed with frightening discoveries. In just the first two hours we saw blood stains all over the ship, an eerie doll collection in the jungle, and even a monkey wearing a doll mask which gave some viewers chills. It's tough to imagine what other scary gems are hiding in the Amazon, but the preview at the end of the premiere showed there's a lot more to come.