Send Help (2026) | Film Review

There are some films that you go into with high expectations, and then there’s others you find yourself slowly becoming more excited for as the runtime progresses. Send Help was, surprisingly, the latter for me.

I'll be honest, I wasn't completely sold on the trailer when it was initially released. The premise looked interesting, the cast was obviously impressive, and Sam Raimi returning to horror was enough to grab my attention, but I wasn't entirely convinced that this was going to be something special.

Send Help follows two colleagues who find themselves stranded on a deserted island following a plane crash. Unfortunately for them, this isn't exactly a case of two complete strangers having to put their differences aside in order to survive. Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) and Bradley Preston (Dylan O'Brien) already have a complicated history, with Bradley being the kind of dickhead boss that, unfortunately, most people will be all the too familiar with.

You know the type. The kind of boss who is completely incapable of doing their own job, takes credit for everyone else's work, treats employees like disposable assets, and somehow continues to fail upwards. A character a lot of the working masses will be all too familiar with. An utter tool, a Mega-Chad, completely clueless, an insufferable jackass… Bradley is an absolute piece of work. His ‘frat-buddy’ partners are equally as intolerable. And honestly, Dylan O'Brien plays him brilliantly – he is incredibly easy to hate.

There is something particularly satisfying about watching a character like Bradley suddenly find himself completely out of his depth. The power dynamic between him and Linda shifts dramatically once they are stranded, and the film has a lot of fun with that change. Anyone who has ever had a nightmare boss, worked under an incompetent P.O.S, or simply had to deal with somebody who has somehow climbed the corporate ladder despite being as competent as a potato, will probably find plenty to relate to here.

Bradley is the kind of character you will want to see suffer. And suffer he does. It’s almost all satisfying to watch.

While O'Brien is fantastic in the role, Rachel McAdams completely steals the spotlight here. Linda is an incredibly interesting character to watch develop throughout the film, and I found myself rooting for her almost immediately. After everything Bradley puts her through, seeing her finally get a little bit of revenge is a pleasure most of us only dream of. Unfortunately, that’s where the problems begin. Unfortunately, Linda eventually tips far too far in the other direction.

What begins as a satisfying power shift slowly develops into something much much darker, with Linda becoming increasingly unhinged. Before long, the film ventures into full-on Annie Wilkes territory, and while I was initially cheering her on, I eventually found myself thinking “well that got a bit out of hand, didn’t it?”. But, that's exactly what makes her so much fun to watch.

Send Help (2026) | Film Review

McAdams throws herself completely into the role, delivering a performance that is funny, unsettling, sympathetic, and completely insane at various points throughout the film. Linda is never quite what you expect her to be, and watching the character evolve from an overlooked employee into something far more dangerous is easily one of the highlights of the movie.

Of course, this is a Sam Raimi film, so you know things are going to get messy.

There are moments throughout that feel unmistakably Raimi. The camera movements, the exaggerated reactions, the dark sense of humour, the sudden bursts of grotesque violence and the sheer willingness to go completely over the top all contribute to a film that feels like Raimi having an absolute blast. Much to my delight, there were several moments where I found myself thinking, "Yep, that's very Sam Raimi."

And yes, his Oldsmobile does make an appearance.

Fans of Raimi's earlier work will almost certainly have a good time here. While Send Help is very much its own film, there are flashes of the same chaotic energy that made films like Evil Dead II so much fun. Raimi clearly understands exactly how to make violence entertaining, and the film contains some genuinely gnarly, brutal, gory and delightfully f*cked-up moments. There’s one scene inparticular that should leave any male horror fan whincing…

I'm not going to spoil exactly what happens, but it is one of those moments where you can practically feel the entire audience collectively wondering whether the film is actually about to go there. Raimi, being Raimi, is more than happy to play with that expectation. And then there are the moments where the film simply embraces its own ridiculousness.

That balance between horror, dark comedy and outright absurdity is what makes the film as entertaining as it is. It isn't afraid to be nasty, it isn't afraid to be funny, and it certainly isn't afraid to make its characters suffer. The film constantly finds new ways to escalate the situation, and just when you think things probably can't get any worse, they somehow do.

This is a nasty, darkly funny and surprisingly entertaining survival horror film that gives Rachel McAdams an absolutely fantastic role and allows Dylan O'Brien to play one of the most thoroughly unlikeable characters I've seen in a while. The film isn't perfect, and there are moments where the escalation can feel a little ridiculous, but honestly, that's also part of the fun.

This is a Sam Raimi film. If you are looking for something completely grounded and realistic, you probably aren't watching the right movie. However, if you're looking for something bloody, bizarre, funny, violent and completely unhinged, Send Help delivers.

This was a pleasant surprise for me, and I'm genuinely glad I gave it a chance. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't completely sold on the trailer when it was first released. I expected to enjoy the fuilm, but I wasn't expecting it to be one of those films that I would come away from genuinely thinking, "That was a lot of fun."

To be fair, I should have known better than to question a Sam Raimi, and Send Help was a great reminder of exactly why his style remains so much fun to watch. My final thoughts- A bloody, funny and delightfully unhinged return to horror for Sam Raimi.

Send Help is out now, and currently available on Disney+.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4wiXj9NmEE