‘Send Help’: Sam Raimi Returns With A Feral, Twisted Blast
Image: A poster for 'Send Help,' dir. by Sam Raimi. Source: TMDB.
An unhinged dark comedy thriller, Send Help is a wild, bloody and unmistakably Sam Raimi ride. Gleefully squirm-worthy, it delivers plenty of laughs while daring you not to cover your eyes as chaos descends.
Raimi’s first R-rated feature in over eight years, Send Help is a confident return to familiar grounds, though lighter and glossier than his usual fare. Trading sustained horror for psychological games, Raimi’s signature flair shines through: stylised visuals, grotesque comedy, and just enough jump scares to jolt.
After a plane crash, Linda (Rachel McAdams), a mousy, socially awkward but quietly determined employee, and her brash, nepo-baby boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) find themselves stranded on a deserted island.
With no one else around, tension ignites as the film quickly reveals itself to be less about escape than control.
The premise may feel familiar, but memorably gross and hilarious moments, paired with electric performances, make it feel fresh.
Written by Damian Swift and Mark Shannon, Send Help revels in flipping status and refusing a moral centre, with both characters committing questionable acts. Though the imbalance of consequences makes you lean firmer towards Good For Her!.
Fans familiar with Raimi know to expect cartoonish yet inventive violence, surface-level plots, and a generous amount of blood—and Send Help, delivers for the most part.
And like most of his films, it lives and dies on its performances.
Both stars fully commit to the madness, showcasing range in roles we haven’t seen before.
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McAdams steals the show, embracing a not-so-unlikeable and increasingly feral protagonist with relish. O’Brien serves as a fantastic man-child foil with pitch perfect comic timing, his manic reactions and hyena-like cackles carrying the film through its slower stretches.
Together, their animosity-fuelled chemistry keeps every scene crackling, each bringing a distinct and somewhat layered flavour of chaos.
The film hinges on their relationship, teasing a will-they-won’t-they dynamic that’s really a manipulative, toxic tango—intimacy is weaponised, and sympathy becomes a liability.
Though some beats feel familiar, the escalating tension keeps you hooked when you’re never quite sure who to root for..
McAdams is a beast, bringing exceptional physicality and depth, as does O’Brien, though a touch more background could’ve made him a bit less one note.
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Visually, Send Help boasts a confident, cohesive style, even if some CGI and green screen proves distractingly rough despite the -on-location shoot.
The gore is surprisingly restrained but well punctuated by memorably shocking moments—puke-filled CPR, Linda doused in boar snot and blood, and more, capped by a gloriously vicious fight.
Raimi’s signature flourishes are always a welcome feast from floating POV dash cams to dreamy montages.
The narrative occasionally loops and the film’s flaws—thin plot, rough CGI, and occasional dragging beats—are part of the Raimi package. While expected for what feels like a big budget B-movie, the ending still feels abrupt after stretches of tension, and this iteration leans more mainstream than his usual blood-soaked fare.
For fans of Raimi, or anyone drawn to campy horror, power struggles, survival stories, or performances pushed to silly extremes, the film is a deeply entertaining, must-watch ride.
Part Cast Away, part Misery, with a dash of Triangle of Sadness, Send Help is a delightfully chaotic thriller that knows exactly how to provoke.
Fun, thrilling and just scary enough to keep your eyes peeled and hands hovering, it’s far from subtle or lingering yet Raimi at his best—made to be experienced with an audience.
★★★★
Send Help is in cinemas now.
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