Send Help (2026) Review

Send Help is Sam Raimi’s first horror feature since 2009’s spectacular Drag me to Hell. Although it is not a straight chiller, it does not disappoint in terms of dark humour, all out gore and artistic flair, all things the malicious maestro has been known for his whole career.

Centred around Rachel McAdams’ ignored and underestimated office worker Linda Liddle, the film opens with her being screwed over by new boss Bradley Preston, played by Teen Wolf and Maze Runner star Dylan O’Brien.

Preston, who has inherited the company from his dearly departed father (played in a portrait by Rami favourite and horror icon Bruce Campbell) sets about shaping his work surrounds into his ideal environment, full of misogynistic frat bros and glamorous secretaries willing to go above and beyond for him and him alone.

Although promised a promotion by Bradley’s Dad due to her 7 years of hard work, Linda discovers she has been overlooked. When she confronts Preston about this injustice he patronises and belittles her.

Backtracking somewhat when he realises he can use her skill with numbers one last time to save the company, he invites her on the business trip to Bangkok with his crew of testosterone fuelled cronies. Although inspired at first to prove her worth to the putrid progeny of her old mentor, Linda is knocked back again when she discovers Brad and his boys mocking an audition tape she made for Survivor.

Disaster strikes when the plane is hit by a storm, killing nearly everyone on board and sending it plummeting into the sea. Luckily Linda finds herself washed up on a remote island, the perfect place to employ the immense amount of survival skills she has learned, inspired by her favourite TV show. Quickly adapting to her surroundings, building a shelter and finding food, she also discovers Bradly who has hurt his leg and being the kind person she is she nurses him back to health.

When he comes round however, the brattish boss is no more grateful or gracious when stranded on a island paradise than he was in the urban jungle. He soon starts to order Linda around, insisting they try to get off the island and back to civilisation as soon as possible. But as the power dynamic has shifted and while Linda thrives, Bradly barely survives without her help, forcing him to kowtow to the woman only days before he believed to be useless and insignificant.

Forming an unlikely and uneasy alliance the duo work together to conquer the unforgiving landscape. They are now forced to live in but the idyllic isolated area harbours as many secrets as the two combative work colleges forcing the audience to question which is more deadly, the island or its new inhabitants?

Although sounding like a simplistic survival movie set-up, seen in films like Cast Away, Six Days, Seven Nights and The Blue Lagoon, Rami’s deft direction and willingness to push certain scenes to the extreme send it off on a glorious and gory path that refreshes the genre. From a boar hunt gone wrong to a vomit-covered resuscitation scene, elements of the man who made the Evil Dead are ever present, elevating the whole piece and providing some unforgettable and nearly unwatchable moments.

Blending comedy, tragedy, drama and horror, Send Help is perfectly paced thriller that has just enough of each to keep viewers engaged and entertained throughout. Penned by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, who brought us both Freddy vs. Jason and the 2017 Baywatch movie, it has plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes. And it still takes the time to fully flesh-out the characters and tackle themes of sexism, gender politics and the very real and very unfair discrepancies women face in the workplace.

Central to its success is the standout performances for the leads, who are both brilliant. Dylan O’Brien’s boyish good looks belie the arrogant bastard beneath, who delights in mocking Linda and exerting his new found power over her even when it is meaningless. Most important of all, although we are shown a deeper side to Bradley as the story unfolds (and even glimpses of redemption and regret) the nasty streak at his core never fades from sight or O’Brien’s glinting eyes.

From the sad opening images of Linda trying to force herself into conversations with her work colleagues and sharing a sandwich with her pet bird, Rachel McAdams’ uncomfortable and quirky characterisation is spot-on. This makes watching her transform from a frumpy friendless worker to a confident capable survivalist all the more gratifying – especially as she proves her worth to Bradley over and over again.

Managing to keep Linda likeable rather pitiful, and misunderstood rather than weak, even after the plane crash, McAdams never lets the slightly unhinged element of Linda die out. This makes her all the more interesting and engaging and keeps her boss and the audience on their toes right up till the very end, when it is revealed how far she will go to get what she wants.

Send Help combines excellent performances with a solid script, brought together by Sam Rami’s creative brilliance behind the camera which infuses it with moments that will have you unsure if you want to cry out with laughter or close your eyes in disgust (or even do both). Either way it is a cinematic trip that you wont forget.

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Send Help trailer