River of Blood

I like jungle movies in general, but I wasn't expecting much when I watched "River of Blood" as sort of a throw-away one afternoon. However, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Liked the direction, camera work, editing, etc. The acting was particularly fine, and the director nice builds the sense of terror throughout. Violent enough that it's not for the queasy. There were just a few "what?" or "how?" details (like, "What are you wearing to kayak, girl?" and "How did your clothes get so dry so fast?"), but these are easily forgivable in a fun, scary jungle thriller. IMDB says I need more characters, so here they are.

Stumbling upon the 2024 horror movie "River of Blood" by random chance here in 2025, of course I had to watch it, given my lifelong admiration of the horror genre. Sure, I had never even heard about this movie from writer Tom Boyle and director Howard J. Ford, but that hardly mattered as it was a horror movie.

The storyline in the movie is fair enough. I mean, it was a straightforward and enjoyable enough script and storyline, but writer Tom Boyle didn't exactly bring anything new to the cannibal subgenre of horror movies. It has been seen and done before in much older movies. Now, that doesn't make "River of Blood" a poor or boring movie, not at all, but just don't get your expectations winded up too high.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. And despite of having a rather small cast ensemble, and thus having more pressure on the actors and actresses to perform well in order to carry the movie, I will say that the actors and actresses did put on good performances in "River of Blood".

Effects-wise, then "River of Blood" was okay. There was a little bit of blood and gore in the movie, which was disappointing to say the least. Why? Well, with "River of Blood" being a cannibal movie, then you would assume and expect to have way more blood, mutilations and visceral brutality in the scenes.

Visually the movie was good, they had shot the movie in some nice locations.

Sure, if you've never seen a cannibal movie before, then you might be getting a bigger kick out of watching "River of Blood" than I did. But then again, I've watched more than my share of cannibal movies over the years. And while "River of Blood" was a watchable movie, it just wasn't outstanding.

Watchable, for sure, but hardly an extraordinary horror experience.

My rating of director Howard J. Ford's 2024 movie "River of Blood" lands on a five out of ten stars.

River of Blood" plunges viewers into a heart-pounding nightmare as two couples on a kayaking trip find themselves at the mercy of a cannibalistic tribe. The film taps into primal fears and the age-old conflict between 'civilized' masculinity and the untamed savagery of the wild. What elevates "River of Blood" beyond a simple slasher is its character-driven narrative. One male character, initially portrayed as flawed and driven by jealousy, undergoes a compelling transformation. His journey towards redemption, culminating in a sacrificial act to protect the women, resonates with classic masculine archetypes. The film's action sequences are brutal and effective, delivering raw, unflinching fight scenes that enhance the sense of danger. While not a masterpiece, "River of Blood" offers a thrilling and ultimately satisfying cinematic experience for those seeking a visceral and thematically rich action flick.

Bad bad acting. I saw the trailer & thought wow, I have got to see this which I did...just now & I need all those minutes of my life back please 🙏

The only thing good about this movie was the ending lol. It ended differently to how I predicted it to end after the first 30 minutes of hurting my brain watching it & usually my ending predictions are pretty spot on so that's the only thing it had going for it lol.

I kept looking on all of my available streaming platforms to try to find it as I was prepared to pay to watch it after seeing the trailer but a friend got a copy of it. Gee thanks friend lol.

Two couples who are taking a kayak trip through the Asian jungle take a wrong turn into a tribe that is inhabited by merciless cannibals. As they try to escape the tension builds as they're hunted down and killed. This movie puts you in the mind of the 80s schlock horror films of Cannibal Holocaust. I recommend the film, good acting with suspense. The Ford Brothers are doing their thing with horror and action thriller movies. I'm definitely looking for more from them. On a score from one through ten, I'll give this crowd pleaser a six. Everyone please get familiar with their movies. Good job by all involved.