Sam Raimi’s Send Help is a lean, nasty return to form.

(L-R) Dylan O'Brien as Bradley Preston and Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in *SEND HELP*. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

A new Sam Raimi film is always an exciting event, especially since his directorial work has been sporadic since his excellent Drag Me to Hell in 2009. His only films since then were Oz the Great and Powerful in 2013 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022, neither of which really measured up to his earlier movies. Send Help is a refreshing return to form, a smaller film that capitalizes on some of Raimi’s greatest strengths.

Rachel McAdams is Linda Liddle, an awkward but brilliant accountant in the Strategy and Planning department of a corporation. On the verge of getting a long-awaited promotion to vice president, her boss’s son, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), inherits the company and decides to promote one of his buddies instead. Bradley invites Linda to a conference in Bangkok as an opportunity to “prove herself,” but the plane crashes, leaving Linda and Bradley as the lone survivors on a deserted island. The power dynamic between the two changes, as Linda has the survival skills to keep them alive, leading to inevitable confrontation.

Dylan O'Brien as Bradley Preston in *SEND HELP*. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

The story is a spin on the second half of Ruben Östlund’s dark comedy Triangle of Sadness, where ultra-wealthy cruise ship passengers are stranded after a storm, and the cleaning lady gains power as the only one who can guarantee their survival. While certain specific plot details overlap, Raimi’s film strikes a completely different tone as a horror comedy, finding laughs in its sometimes gory horror scenario and going far more over the top, sometimes dipping into camp.

Raimi finds room for some great, monstrous visual effects work that calls back to his Evil Dead films in a couple of specific scenes. I wasn’t expecting that, as I assumed this film’s more grounded setting wouldn’t allow for what Raimi does in his horror work, and it was a wonderful surprise. Those brief moments aren’t for the squeamish.

(L-R) Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle and Dylan O'Brien as Bradley Preston in *SEND HELP*. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are great in their roles. Their on-screen chemistry is wonderful; both actors are more than capable of driving this film that would fall apart if not for their performances. Being the only two on-screen for most of the runtime, good writing and direction wouldn’t be enough to carry the film alone.

While Send Help doesn’t quite reach the heights of Drag Me to Hell, it’s a welcome reminder of what makes Sam Raimi such a singular filmmaker. Built around a brutal power imbalance, the film leans fully into his strengths—melding physical comedy, grotesque horror, and his trademark kinetic filmmaking. It’s a lean, nasty, and often very funny experience that feels purpose-built for his sensibilities. Let’s hope we get another Raimi project like this soon.

Send Help opens in theaters on January 30, 2026.