Hawaii Bulletin

Hawaii Bulletin

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
'The River' Shares Scares, Hawaii Ties
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

'The River' Shares Scares, Hawaii Ties

Ryan Kawailani Ozawa's avatar
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
Feb 06, 2012

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
'The River' Shares Scares, Hawaii Ties
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share
The River

Tuesday night brings the premiere of "The River" on ABC. Created by Oren Peli, the man behind the "Paranormal Activity" film franchise, the show is described as a "paranormal adventure horror" series. The modest production came to the islands with a modest, eight-episode first-season order, following in the much larger footsteps of ABC's previous filmed-in-Hawaii hit show "LOST."

This show is set in the uncharted backwaters of the Amazon, rather than a mysterious Pacific island, but to be sure, the parallels to "LOST" are many. From a menacing jungle rife with scary sounds and dark mysteries to characters struggling with daddy issues, it's only natural to think ABC is trying to tap the same vein of rabid "LOST" fandom.

Fortunately, "The River" is a completely different animal. It falls unabashedly in the horror bin, with a solid setup and interesting characters. The show-within-a-show setup is surprisingly clever, building upon documentary-style found-footage to take us along on a rescue mission that quickly turns into a fight for survival. We were properly spooked, and quickly hooked.

If you're looking for a more thorough review, my wife Jen and I reviewed the first two hours of "The River" on today's episode of Popspotting.

And if you tune in tonight, watch for two split-second cameos in the first couple of minutes. Local newscaster Jill Kuramoto makes an appearance, as does Hawaii Public Radio's Michael Titterton.

Jill Kuramoto on "The River"
Michael Titterton on "The River"

Both Kuramoto and Titterton also had cameos on "LOST," appearing as a newscaster (natch) and as a bartender.

Note that the pilot, or first hour, of "The River" was largely filmed in Puerto Rico before relocating to Hawaii for the remaining seven episodes.


Subscribe to Hawaii Bulletin

By Ryan Kawailani Ozawa · Launched 6 years ago
Island innovation in focus. Hawaii-based science, technology, startups and entrepreneurs, featuring local leaders, creators, educators, and more.

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
'The River' Shares Scares, Hawaii Ties
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Gallery: ThriveHI Pau Hana
A sold-out crowd of Honolulu-based tech workers (and their friends) packed the courtyard of Honolulu Beerworks in Kaka‘ako yesterday.
Apr 14, 2023 â€¢ 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
13

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Gallery: ThriveHI Pau Hana
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Preview: Hawaii Angels Turns 22
The leading investment network for seed-level private equity investors in Hawaii starts a new chapter in 2024.
Jan 15, 2024 â€¢ 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
3

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Preview: Hawaii Angels Turns 22
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Hub Coworking Expands to Entrepreneurs Sandbox
Cofounder Nam Vu looks back at the pandemic and shares his bright vision for the remote-work future.
Apr 22, 2023 â€¢ 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
7

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Hub Coworking Expands to Entrepreneurs Sandbox
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2

Ready for more?

© 2025 Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.