When it comes to the old head directors of Hollywood horror, between retirement and Father Time taking his cut, there aren’t many left. Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, and George A. Romero have sadly passed on to another realm; John Carpenter retired from directing, and Dario Argento hasn’t released a high-quality horror film in years. One of the few remaining classic horror creators who continues to keep the old-school vibe alive in the genre is Sam Raimi, director of The Evil Dead, Darkman, and Drag Me to Hell. Raimi’s newest horror project, Send Help, just hit theaters and surprisingly debuted as one of his highest-rated films.
Written by Freddy vs. Jason and Friday the 13th‘s (2009) Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, Send Help stars Rachel McAdams (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf, Love and Monsters). The film follows meek strategist Linda Liddle (McAdams), who, after being in line for a major promotion at her company, is passed over due to the sudden death of her boss and takeover by his son, Bradley (O’Brien).
On his first day, Bradley treats Linda horribly but recognizes her importance to the company and forces her to come on a company trip to Bangkok and help bring his newly promoted Vice President up to speed. When the private jet crashes over the ocean, Linda and Bradley find themselves stranded on a deserted island. What Bradley doesn’t know is that the power dynamic has instantly changed, and Linda happens to be a seasoned survivalist.
On its surface, Send Help doesn’t exactly sound like a typical horror plot, but as the film moves forward, it takes a turn into prime Sam Raimi territory, complete with signature psychotic freakouts, blood-soaked insanity, and dark, unexpected twists… and of course, you can’t forget the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Bruce Campbell cameo.
Rachel McAdams (who worked with Raimi in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) is the ultimate star of this film. Seeing her flawlessly transition from a reserved, jittery homebody to a powerful, imposing force in what feels like her true natural setting is a treat to watch. Dylan O’Brien does a wonderful job of being detestable, too.
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With every word that comes from his mouth, you want him to struggle so much more. The rest of the tiny cast consists of small parts from lesser-known actors who do their jobs playing purposely insufferable characters. For the majority of the film, it’s a two-person show.
Where Send Help shines the most is in its surprising amount of heart, which Raimi has shown in his masterpieces like Spider-Man and For Love of the Game, and in its absolute bonkers hilarity, which is peppered throughout even the film’s darkest moments. Send Help simultaneously pushes incredibly serious themes of misogyny and mistreatment in the workplace and vicious power dynamics, while somehow also never taking itself too seriously.
If there’s one issue I have with Send Help, it’s that the film didn’t go as hard as it should have. The build-up was incredible, the twist was great, but the climax was a bit of a let-down. So many other moments in this movie were wacky, goopy, and grotesque, so I was expecting a gory, explosive ending that never came.
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Don’t get me wrong, the finale ties things up nicely, and it didn’t take anything away from me having a blast with the film. It was almost like I didn’t want the craziness to end, but sadly, it had to.
Send Help feels like one of Raimi’s best put-together films. It has his personal stamp throughout the entire movie and feels like Misery meets an over-the-top Lord of the Flies. The movie never gets jumbled; the message never gets lost, and it gives the audience everything they sign up for when going to see a Raimi film. The theater was filled with boisterous laughs and cringing “ooohs,” and there isn’t a much better testament than that. I totally recommend checking this one out.
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