The River (2012) is a suspenseful supernatural adventure series that follows a rescue expedition searching for a missing explorer deep in the Amazon rainforest. As the crew travels along the mysterious river, they encounter ancient legends, unexplained phenomena, and terrifying secrets hidden within the jungle. Blending found-footage storytelling with psychological horror and expedition drama, The River delivers a chilling journey into the unknown where science, myth, and survival collide.
Six months ago, Emmet Cole, adventurer and host of The Undiscovered Country, disappeared while on an expedition deep in the uncharted waters of the Amazon River. The fruitless search and subsequent 'memorial service' left thousands of fans in shock at the loss of their icon. Now, his emergency beacon had been activated, and his wife Tess, who reluctantly faced reality, organizes a search party to find him. The team comprises her estranged son Lincoln, who was more than ready to leave the past behind; Emmet's long-time friend and Undiscovered Country producer Clark Quietly; Magus mechanic Emilio Valenzuela and his daughter Jahel; Lena Landry, daughter of cameraman Russ Landry who has disappeared along with Cole; and ex-forces Captain Kurt Bryndilson, who provides security for the expedition. What the team does not know is that this journey will take them to a place where magic comes alive and things are never what they seem. The paranormal entity they encountered in this episode is a corpo seco. When Jahel becomes possessed by Emmet Cole's spirit, Tess becomes undeterred from her goal of finding clues to her husband's whereabouts. The team then discovers a tree draped in children's dolls, and an old legend reminds them that the tree of dolls is an offering site to "La Dejada, the abandoned one", as mentioned by Lena, in this case a spirit of a girl who drowned in the river. Tess was suddenly dragged away to drown and Lincoln has to find a way to appease the spirit.
Six months ago, Emmet Cole, adventurer and host of The Undiscovered Country, disappeared while on an expedition deep in the uncharted waters of the Amazon River. The fruitless search and subsequent 'memorial service' left thousands of fans in shock at the loss of their icon. Now, his emergency beacon had been activated, and his wife Tess, who reluctantly faced reality, organizes a search party to find him. The team comprises her estranged son Lincoln, who was more than ready to leave the past behind; Emmet's long-time friend and Undiscovered Country producer Clark Quietly; Magus mechanic Emilio Valenzuela and his daughter Jahel; Lena Landry, daughter of cameraman Russ Landry who has disappeared along with Cole; and ex-forces Captain Kurt Bryndilson, who provides security for the expedition. What the team does not know is that this journey will take them to a place where magic comes alive and things are never what they seem. The paranormal entity they encountered in this episode is a corpo seco. When Jahel becomes possessed by Emmet Cole's spirit, Tess becomes undeterred from her goal of finding clues to her husband's whereabouts. The team then discovers a tree draped in children's dolls, and an old legend reminds them that the tree of dolls is an offering site to "La Dejada, the abandoned one", as mentioned by Lena, in this case a spirit of a girl who drowned in the river. Tess was suddenly dragged away to drown and Lincoln has to find a way to appease the spirit.
When the Magus crew discover a clue that Dr Emmet Cole may have visited a nearby cave, they decide to investigate, hiking through the jungle to follow this most recent lead. They soon realize they have entered the territory of the Morcegos, a tribe of warriors known as "The Guardians of the Forest" who bear judgement on the crew of the Magus, whether they are worthy to pass through their lands or not. The team, with the exception of cave-phobic cameraman AJ Poulain, enter the cave, accidentally disturbing a colony of bats dwelling within. Later that night, they are visited by the stealthy Morcegos, who place markings around their tents and somehow infect the eyes of the team members who entered the cave with an unidentified toxin. One by one, they lose their sight. Now, camera operator AJ must face his fear and find a cure before the team succumbs to permanent blindness.
The Magus team encounters Jonas, one of Emmet's cameramen who had disappeared with him six months ago, and discover that he's been the victim of a mystical curse. Jahel, the daughter of the ship's mechanic is uneasy with Jonas' presence. A lot of times "El Colgado" appears on her tarot readings, the hanging man. Soon, this discovered curse becomes a matter of life and death, not just for Jonas, but for the rest of the crew as well. When the others plan to jettison Jonas and continue the mission, Lincoln must face this challenge and be the moral compass.
The Magus finds itself stranded and in need of some parts, when another ship comes to their rescue. However, the new ship's crew of environmentalists are far more dangerous than they appear, despite seeming friendly. Lena and Jonas discover the other ship has Lena's father, missing cameraman Russ, chained in the hull of their ship. Once more, the Magus's crew is in danger.
After finding Emmet's camera bag during a trek to the Sahte Falls, the Magus crew examines the tapes and finds footage of Emmet alongside camera operators Manny Centeno and Rosetta "Rabbit" Fischer looking for "The Source"; a tribe living in the jungle who have powers to heal or achieve anything. As a mysterious demon follows them, killing Manny and causing Rabbit leave, Emmet is left by himself. In the jungle, he realises that he might have made a mistake coming out here. As he progresses through the jungle alone, hungry and weak, the mysterious demon follows him, and as it is about to take Emmet's life, tribesmen come and save him. They heal him, and take him to a research facility in the jungle, before hurrying off. People from the base see Emmet and rush towards him to help. The Magus crew realise that he is alive and trek the jungle to find the facility, only to discover it is abandoned.
Beginning where the previous episode ends—Emmet Cole's last known location—the research facility, the Magus crew not only discovers that it is abandoned, but also that there has been illegal research and experiments occurring, with the inhabitants of the forest being used as test subjects. The research went wrong and turned the inhabitants and workers into cannibals who begin to stalk the crew. One of the researchers-turned-zombie is Hanna, Kurt's fiancée, and the reason for his secrecy is finally revealed. The crew finds Rabbit, who abandoned Cole some months prior to the episode, and also discover a room in the facility with an unconscious Emmet Cole concealed in a cocoon. They cut him out and travel back to the ship, only to be followed by the cannibals, which leads to Rabbit being killed by Hanna before Kurt is forced to put her down and Emmet Cole waking up.
After Lincoln is shot dead by a member of the Magus, Jahel disobeys her father and Emmet by calling upon the river's spirit for help. With the help of Tess, Jahel performs a ritual which brings Lincoln back to life. Lincoln tells the crew that Kurt shot him, when later it is revealed to be Jonas. With an evil spirit inside him, Lincoln kills Jonas. Clark discovers Jonas' body and the crew realize the truth about what is happening—the Boiuna's spirit is living inside Lincoln. Emmet asks Lena to help force the evil spirit out of his son and they perform an exorcism. When it does not work, Emmet asks Kurt to help, who tells him that he needs to talk to his son, not the spirit. Emmet does so, which results in the spirit leaving. The crew then tries to follow the map out of the Boiuna to a fishing village for supplies, but find that it is not there when they arrive. Clark sends up the heli-cam to inspect the surroundings. On a monitor, the crew sees that the river and terrain are changing, to which Lincoln explains that the Boiuna will not let them leave.
