The River is the atmospheric new drama from Oren Peli, the creator of Paranormal Activity, and produced by Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks.

Combining the paranormal and horror with action and adventure, the series uses ‘found-footage’ to attempt to unravel the circumstances behind the mysterious disappearance of illustrious explorer, Dr Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), who vanishes during a trip to the Amazon six months earlier.

When his wife Tess (Leslie Hope) receives a signal from him, she sends their estranged son Lincoln (Joe Anderson) and a team of adventurers to find him. They film a documentary based on their exploits, but thanks to a mysterious force lurking in the undergrowth, nothing is as it seems.

Dr Emmet Cole is no ordinary explorer – he’s also the host of hit TV series The Undiscovered Country, and was out searching for ‘magic’ for an episode of it when he seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth.

After a long absence, his friends and family have accepted that he isn’t coming back; even his fans, after months of being in deep shock, are coming to terms with his loss – until his emergency beacon suddenly goes off. Cole’s wife Tess is convinced this means her husband is still alive, but son Lincoln isn’t so sure – in fact, he doesn’t care whether his estranged father is dead or not. Nevertheless, he sets off with cameraman’s daughter Lena (Eloise Mumford), mechanic Emilio (Daniel Zacapa) and bodyguard Kurt (Thomas Kretschmann) in tow. Cole’s shady ex-producer Clark (Paul Blackthorn) is along for the ride to film the whole expedition – he knows any footage they capture en route could net a fortune, especially if Cole is found.

Each episode follows the team’s progress and their often terrifying encounters with entities beyond their imagination, frequently seen from their own point of view in the ‘found-footage’ style of The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and – of course – Paranormal Activity.