Send Help Review: This Giggle-Inducing Nastiness Is Exactly What I Want From Sam Raimi

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What I admire most about Sam Raimi is his ability to work across so many different genres. He began with the iconic horror film The Evil Dead in 1981, but he’s consistently avoided sticking to one type of movie. Whether it’s a thriller, western, sports drama, or superhero film, it’s hard to put a “Raimi movie” into a single category – though you can always recognize his unique style.

Send Help

Here are the details for the movie: It will be released on January 30, 2026, and is directed by Sam Raimi. The screenplay is by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. The film stars Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Dennis Haysbert, Edyll Ismail, and Chris Pang. It has an R rating due to strong violence and language, and runs for 113 minutes.

However, I’ll admit to a bit of selfishness: I don’t really care about him experimenting with different kinds of films. I just wish he’d stick to making horror movies! He’s exceptionally talented at them, and he doesn’t make enough. His new film, Send Help, which is his first major horror contribution since 2009’s Drag Me To Hell, proves my point – it’s a genuinely dark and disturbing delight.

Rachel McAdams’ performance in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness might not be the most talked-about aspect of the film, but she’s excellent. The movie borrows the core idea from Lina Wertmüller’s Swept Away, but removes the romantic elements and adds a chilling, *Miserylike atmosphere. It’s a darkly humorous and somewhat cruel film that explores themes of gender and class, creating a tense and unsettling experience with moments of wicked fun.

McAdams stars as Linda Liddle, a bright and capable woman who feels isolated and a bit awkward around her coworkers. She’s really counting on a promotion to turn things around, but her hopes are dashed when her boss passes away. The company then falls to his spoiled and prejudiced son, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), who hires one of his friends instead of giving Linda the job.

To make amends, Bradley invites Linda on a crucial business trip to Bangkok, intending to let her go once it’s over. However, their plane crashes, and they are the sole survivors, finding themselves stranded on an island. Bradley badly injures his leg, completely changing their dynamic. He’s helpless and unprepared, while Linda, a dedicated fan of the show Survivor, knows exactly how to keep them alive, putting him entirely dependent on her.

Send Help is a different kind of revenge movie built on a great dynamic between its two main characters.

Similar movies like Swept Away or Six Days, Seven Nights often turn into romantic comedies where characters overcome their initial dislike and fall in love. However, Sam Raimi and the writers of this film intentionally avoid that path. Though the movie has elements of different genres, it’s fundamentally a revenge story that provides satisfying emotional release, which feels particularly impactful at the start of 2026.

The film delves into complex character motivations, going beyond a simple good-versus-evil story. Bradley is revealed to be more than just a privileged newcomer, and Linda is far from innocent, with the movie refusing to justify her problematic actions. Despite these nuances, the story remains focused on its hero and villain, and is generally engaging – aside from a slow patch in the middle – as the protagonist consistently outmaneuvers her opponent, who stubbornly avoids personal growth.

Rachel McAdams is a true joy to watch while Dylan O’Brien effectively makes you hate his guts.

Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien deserve a lot of praise. They carry almost the entire movie as the only characters on screen for most of the time, and both perfectly capture the charm and personality their characters, Linda and Bradley, need.

It takes a little willingness to accept the premise – that someone who looks like Rachel McAdams could be struggling professionally – even with the effort the show puts into making her seem a bit quirky. However, it’s incredibly enjoyable to watch her character thrive while unexpectedly stranded, and the actress perfectly captures her complete embrace of this new, unplanned life.

Dylan O’Brien has a challenging role – he plays a truly unlikeable character, and does it remarkably well without becoming over-the-top. He perfectly captures the frustrating energy of someone who feels entitled to everything, despite not earning it, and convincingly portrays the character’s escalating anger, fear, and desperation as he loses his undeserved power.

Send Help features the exact silly nastiness that is a staple of Sam Raimi horror movies.

Linda and Bradley face many challenges, and fans of director Sam Raimi will not be surprised to learn he personally handles the practical effects – especially the blood and messy substances – during the film’s most intense moments. Watching Send Help, it’s clear Raimi thoroughly enjoyed making the movie, which is full of wonderfully gruesome scenes. These are captured with a distinctive visual style and editing that clearly marks him as the director.

The movie immediately grabs your attention with a thrilling plane crash – a taste of the intense action to come. It consistently delivers unsettling and visually impressive moments, like Linda’s hunt for a wild boar, building to a climactic showdown I won’t spoil here.

Although Sam Raimi doesn’t make films as frequently as he did in the 1990s, the nearly twenty-year wait for his latest horror film, Send Help, was definitely worth it. Even after forty-five years since The Evil Dead, he still has a remarkable talent for creating truly unsettling experiences, solidifying his legacy as a key figure in the horror genre.

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2026-01-27 00:39