SEND HELP is a new movie from iconic genre filmmaker Sam Raimi. It’s a dark comedy mixed with psychological thriller and delicious horror. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are perfectly cast in their respective roles, and things will escalate in some pretty wild ways. I loved it. Read our full Send Help movie review here!
SEND HELP is a new genre-mix movie starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. It’s a movie from one of my favorite genre filmmakers, Sam Raimi, who never shies away from… well, anything really. Fans of Sam Raimi will recognize several “creatures” and “events” as they are very classic for him.
In fact, I would say you shouldn’t plan on eating too much while watching this movie. Unless you’re not easily grossed out. Just a little warning. With Send Help, we’re getting so much of what I love in genre-hybrids. Dark comedy, psychological horror, and thriller elements, plus a few great twists along the way.
Continue reading our Send Help movie review below. Find it in theaters from January 30, 2026.
Linda is a true survivor
With Send Help, we follow Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams), who is a bit of a loner. She doesn’t mean to be, but nobody really gets her. What’s even worse is that no one seems to appreciate her, despite her being a genius at her job. Her late boss did recognize this and promised her a promotion, but her arrogant new boss, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), doesn’t feel the same way.
That’s why Linda and Bradley are not the best team when they suddenly find themselves stranded on a deserted island. They were heading to an important meeting when a storm caused their plane to crash.
Fortunately, for them both, Linda is a true survivor. The kind who has been dreaming of being on Survivor and even tried to audition. To be honest, I find her style has much more of a Naked and Afraid vibe. Linda has all the skills needed to make it on her own. Bradley doesn’t seem to understand the predicament he’s in at first.
He continues to overlook the immense value of having Linda on this island with him.
But not for long.
Linda will soon make it obvious that he needs her a lot more than she needs him. To be frank, she does not need him. At all. Except for the company, and with his lousy attitude, it’s not very valuable. A volleyball would be just as good… if you catch my drift?!
Cast Away meets Misery meets Drag Me to Hell
Send Help is pure Sam Raimi in its execution, while the story is a delicious combination of elements from Cast Away (Linda also celebrates making fire), Misery (Linda is done taking abuse from men), and Drag Me to Hell. The latter, especially in terms of how gory it gets.
Actually, the Misery comparison is both completely accurate and totally unfair. Linda Liddle is a tough woman, but she isn’t obsessive like Annie Wilkes. She is fine being on her own. She doesn’t mind using a few tricks from Annie Wilkes’ playbook, though.
Again, don’t plan on eating while watching Send Help.
This is definitely Rachel McAdams‘ movie first and foremost, but Dylan O’Brien delivers a brilliant performance as well. Mostly with how good he is at portraying a character that is so relatable and familiar, and also one you really feel needs to be punched in the face. Just so he can understand that he really isn’t the “big man” he sees himself as.
Not unlike his character in Anniversary, which I highly recommend watching as well.
Watch Send Help in theaters
As mentioned several times already, Sam Raimi is the director of Send Help. I have to say, I had high expectations for this movie and was actually nervous that I expected too much. Fortunately, and as expected, Sam Raimi delivered once again. Sure, we’re not giving it a top rating, but that’s just because I didn’t feel it had that flawless and/or surprising element that usually results in this.
From Evil Dead (1981) to Drag Me to Hell (2009) and everything in between and around, Sam Raimi has a very unique take on genre-mix productions. They are usually very character-driven and full of practical effects with lots of bodily fluids. Send Help is not an exception, and I loved it.
The action-packed and comedy-fueled survival horror-thriller was written by screenwriting duo Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (Freddy vs. Jason). These two also have a love of genre-hybrids, which must mean they clicked perfectly with Sam Raimi and had a shared vision of how it would look on screen. Even the original score by Danny Elfman just suited this movie perfectly.
Apart from Rachel McAdams in this movie (and, for the record, both main characters have a lot of moral ambiguity), the hero behind getting this movie to fruition is Zainab Azizi (Boy Kills World, Don’t Move). She is the trusted producing partner and president of Sam Raimi’s production company.
For obvious reasons, she loved the idea of a female antihero and unpredictable shifting power dynamics. I did too, and I think most others will. I mean, in horror movies, it has always been about the Final Girl… or Ash, when we’re talking about Sam Raimi.
Send Help releases in theaters nationwide on January 30, 2026.
Details
Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, Dennis Haysbert, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Emma Raimi
Plot
Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) and Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), two colleagues who find themselves stranded on a deserted island after they are the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it becomes an unsettling and darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
📺 Watch trailer
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