This may seem hard to believe, but Send Help (2026) is director Sam Raimi‘s first rated-R genre film in roughly 25 years. His last R-rated endeavour was the adult supernatural thriller The Gift, released at the very end of 2000. After that, the Michigan-born-and-raised filmmaker built a new generation of devoted fans through his game-changing Spider-Man trilogy. His pre-established followers who had grown to admire him for the iconic Evil Dead franchise were next reassured by his demonic horror film Drag Me to Hell (2009), which was somehow PG-13 despite its intense depravity. 2013’s family-friendly Oz the Great and Powerful was a slight misstep for Raimi, leading to an almost decade-long break from directing as he pivoted to producing.
Now, invigorated from his experience directing Marvel’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Raimi has returned to the kind of outlandish genre space that first launched his career. Plus, he’s brought along star Rachel McAdams from the Multiverse of Madness set for the wild ride! Written by screenwriting partners Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, best known for Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and Friday the 13th (2009), Send Help can be described as many things. Yes, there are elements of horror and suspense, as well as all the eye-popping bodily fluids you would expect from a Raimi movie. However, more than anything else, it’s a deeply cruel black comedy with a wickedly sharp sense of humor.
A Permanent Getaway
The premise is rather simple: two co-workers find themselves stranded on a deserted tropical island after their small plane crashes while on a business trip. Their kind of business, though, is extremely personal. Linda Liddle (McAdams) was about to get promoted to Vice President at Preston Strategic Solutions, a Fortune 500 company, until her boss tragically passed away. Enter his son, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), a self-centered nepo baby who takes over as the new CEO. Linda’s dorky personality and social awkwardness don’t meet his expectations, despite her number-crunching skills being crucial to the company’s success. Without hesitation, Bradley decides to give her once-promised promotion to one of his unqualified male friends instead, pushing Linda over the edge.
Courtesy of Disney
At first, it seems like Send Help is using themes of deep-rooted misogyny and sexism in the workplace to tell a classic survival thriller. Once marooned on a lonely island near Thailand, Linda and Bradley find themselves at odds as the only survivors of their plane crash. Linda has been preparing for a scenario like this for years, though, as a diehard fan of the hit CBS reality competition series Survivor. A humorous character quirk suddenly turns into Bradley’s last lifeline, as he needs her far more than she needs him. Thus, the tables are turned, and Bradley must swallow his own pride and submit to Linda’s dominance. However, that’s easier said than done.
Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien Perfectly Capture the Mean Spirit of Send Help
The cunning nature of Shannon and Swift’s script is that it never reveals its cards early, and it has many! Linda is hiding some of her own dark, ulterior motives on the island. The best part is that none of her decisions feel predictable or tropey. She is constantly evolving, switching up her game plan at every new development. At one point or another, Send Help plays like a survival thriller, a battle of the sexes, a revenge story, a twisted romance, and a gross-out horror movie, but never all at once. It’s a tight balancing act, where Raimi knows exactly when to ramp up the stress and tension to get the most visceral reaction out of an audience.
Rachel McAdams has been long overdue for a role like this. She and Raimi are a match made in heaven, both being on the same chaotic wavelength. Her expressive range and ability to shift between tones on a dime keep viewers hooked throughout. Send Help is at its best when McAdams and Dylan O’Brien (Twinless) are allowed to just bounce off each other and let a scene play out to its craziest circumstances. O’Brien makes playing a scumbag look too easy. Yet he wins people over in the moments when Linda seems to have gone far off the deep end, too. It’s hard to say who gets the bigger laughs, as they test the limits of each other’s sanity.
Sam Raimi is Doing it for the Gag (Literally)
A palpable, infectious energy can be felt from behind the camera. Send Help is Sam Raimi at his most giddiest, striking gold in the dark comedy of Linda and Bradley’s toxic relationship. There are standout moments where the two are hilariously blasted with blood, snot, and even vomit. Some jolting jump scares in the vein of Evil Dead are an additional highlight. Raimi is operating at full velocity in Send Help; there’s no denying that. But what can be more appreciated, especially for longtime fans, is how much he stretches his comedic chops. With a pair like McAdams and O’Brien at hand, Raimi gets to operate like his usual zany self while also tapping into something uniquely vile story-wise.
Reuniting with his usual collaborators — composer Danny Elfman, cinematographer Bill Pope, and editor Bob Murawski — Send Help is as propulsive and dynamic as Sam Raimi’s past works. Pope is having lots of fun with extreme close-ups here, as well as capturing both the danger and beauty of the island (shot on location in Thailand). That said, it becomes uncanny when it’s clear Raimi’s budget was spread too thin, particularly across multiple CGI-heavy scenes. The director has described the production as almost “indie.” Making the most of select resources is nothing new for this filmmaker, but it does take the viewer out when certain shots are not visually up to par with the rest of the movie.
Welcome to the Next Era of Raimi
The fact that a weird, small-scale, genre-bending film like Send Help can get made in today’s studio system is a sign of a changing tide. Watching a director like Sam Raimi ride this wave is as fun as it gets. Truly, how many other times can one see Rachel McAdams spear a massive boar to death, or Dylan O’Brien running for his life across a beach in suede loafers? Send Help is also a great gateway into Raimi’s filmography for younger moviegoers, who perhaps didn’t connect with Multiverse of Madness because of its MCU ties. This is Raimi’s funniest movie in years; it’s best to just leave all expectations at the door and let loose in the theater.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Send Help hits theaters on January 30!
Release Date: January 30, 2026.
Directed by Sam Raimi.
Written by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift.
Produced by Sam Raimi & Zainab Azizi.
Executive Producer: Jonathan Hook.
Main Cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail, Dennis Haysbert, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Emma Raimi, & Bruce Campbell.
Cinematographer: Bill Pope.
Composer: Danny Elfman.
Editor: Bob Murawski.
Production Companies: Raimi Productions & TSG Entertainment.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios.
Runtime: 113 minutes.
Rated R.
