Few directors have as much fun splattering their cast with as much goop and viscera as possible as director Sam Raimi. One can practically picture the amused filmmaker guffawing behind the camera in pure amusement as leads Rachel McAdams (Doctor Strange) and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) receive a few blood or vomit canons to the face in Send Help, a deliciously fun survival thriller that nestles perfectly in Raimi’s splatstick oeuvre. And it’s every bit as infectious as it sounds.
Rachel McAdams stars as Linda Liddle, a high-strung, socially awkward mess of an employee who’s skipped over for the job she was promised when her company’s president passes, leaving his legacy to spoiled son Bradley (O’Brien). It’s a predicament that leads to terror, not unlike Drag Me To Hell‘s Christine, when Bradley attempts to stave off an HR problem by inviting Linda along to help close a major deal in Thailand. Just as the entire private jet discovers and heckles Linda’s obsession with the show “Survivor,” catastrophe strikes, leaving her and her rotten new boss stranded on an island. Work grievances complicate their survival as frustrations lead to violence.
Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in 20th Century Studios’ SEND HELP. Photo by Brook Rushton. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
It’s a splatstick battle of wills and wit, as the power balance shifts once the meek Linda realizes she’s exactly where she always wanted to be and her egotistical new CEO must now rely on her for survival.
Raimi’s filmography is filled with schmucks who worm their way into your hearts despite their flaws, and Send Help is no exception. Linda is the latest, leaving McAdams with the tricky task of earning audience allegiance despite the character’s almost grotesque introduction as Linda makes awkward attempts to connect, even as hygiene comes into question. The good news is that Bradley and his chosen cohorts, at least compared to the timid Linda, are arrogant jerks whose handling of Linda’s missteps sets them up for Raimi’s brand of comedic office karma.
Though it might be a bit of a tough sell to buy McAdams as such a peculiar, frumpy woman, at least at first, Send Help quickly becomes a showcase of her talents as she fully commits to every bit of insanity that Raimi, working from a screenplay by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift (Freddy vs. Jason), throws at her. More than just embracing the splatstick mania, taking and dishing out violence with gusto, McAdams injects affecting vulnerability with effortless ease, disarming both the audience and her trapped boss. O’Brien also keeps you guessing, wondering if his moments of humanity are to be trusted or if he’s slowly learning the error of his ways.
Send Help hinges on the push and pull, give and take between two people who ultimately don’t trust each other yet need each other to survive. Of course, there’s a lot more than meets the eye that gets revealed piecemeal, creating further shifts in trust and allegiances. McAdams and O’Brien’s emotional range adds genuine pathos that not only keeps you guessing, but prevents either character from crashing into caricature territory. It’s what grounds Send Help when the Raimi-style insanity cranks up the dial.
(L-R) Dylan O’brien as Bradley Preston in 20th Century Studios’ SEND HELP. Photo by Brook Rushton. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
While Send Help leans more into survival thrills with a pitch-black comedic streak, Raimi’s horror roots are on full display. A constant barrage of blood, vomit, and bodily fluids aside, expect a trademark nightmare sequence with a ghastly scare. Eagled-eyed viewers will also connect Linda to The Evil Dead‘s Linda, noting her eyeglass holder necklace resembling a magnifying glass pendant gifted by Ash.
There is a reliance on CG in parts that’s noticeable; it’s up to McAdams to sell the primal nerve of fighting against a ferocious boar that looks more spunky cartoon than dangerous. She at least succeeds there, with support from excessive bloodshed. Danny Elfman’s score is oddly muted, upstaged thoroughly by Blondie’s “One Way or Another,” and the climactic showdown feels a little restrained considering the built-up tension and brewing hostilities.
Still, they don’t make thrillers like this very often these days. A relatively self-contained, original thriller showcasing two formidable performances guided by Raimi’s deft hand as a director and splatstick entertainer. Send Help is full of vibrant personality, with all of Raimi’s signatures. It might be a bit more grounded and not nearly as full throttle as previous works, but it’s still a welcome return for the filmmaker, designed to entertain and deliver a little bit of catharsis for work frustrations. It’s a raucous, goopy good time at the movies.
Send Help crash lands in theaters on January 30.
