Sam Raimi’s Send Help (2026) is the famous American horror icon’s first foray into proper horror/thriller territory since Drag Me To Hell (2009).

Rachel McAdams plays Linda Liddle, a workhorse employee working as a corporate strategist who routinely gets passed over for promotions, and when a new CEO is appointed, nothing changes. McAdams’ counterpart in the film is Dylan O’Brien, who plays the old CEO’s son — and new CEO — Bradley Preston.

During a routine work flight their plane malfunctions and crashes into the sea, near the gulf of Thailand. The only two survivors are Linda Liddle and Bradley Preston.

Bradley quickly realises that they’re trapped on the island, and that he is effectively reliant on the quick-witted and prepared Linda for suvival. Linda decides that she can use this disaster for her own benefit, making Bradley realise that she is capable of a lot more than he gives her credit for.

Send Help is often billed as either a ‘horror thriller’ or a ‘horror comedy’ depending on which outlet is advertising it, but in reality the film is essentially a dramatic thriller, offering very little in the way of scares, tension, or gore (for which Raimi is famous).

Mark Swift and Damien Shannon’s screenplay is standard fare — island survival, poisonous plants, surviving the elements, and the standard character-thriller story-beats as the characters try to figure out if they can trust each other.

Unfortunately, the movie is almost completely toothless, with the ‘gore’ being provided via low-quality CGI models squirting blood from a hidden hose, and the genuine action/thriller sequences taking place towards the end of the film, which feels like it drags due to a meandering script and slow pacing, so that when we due get to the thrilling climax my enthusiasm had already waned.

There are a few moments which feel like ‘classic Raimi’, a few sharp editing decisions, a few interesting flickers on the screen where you remember who the director is, but aside from those brief flashes in the pan, there’s not a lot going on here.

The character arcs are obvious and tired as the story concept itself: for this film to have worked, Raimi would have had to have leaned into the horror a lot more. All we have is two characters sometimes working together, sometimes not, with their own motivations that sometimes conflict. Both central characters are essentially bad people, and the ending — whether meaning to or not — cements this. There are no real heroes in this film, just jerks.

The twist ending was nonsensical considering the story, and as this is a spoiler-free review I won’t elaborate, but it ruined the potential for further re-watches from me.

2.5/5

Callum Berry