Movie Review: Send Help

I’ve been looking forward to Send Help ever since the first trailer dropped last year. Sam Raimi returning to horror for the first time since Drag Me to Hell? Rachel McAdams leading the cast? Say less — I was already seated. What intrigued me most, though, was how little the trailer actually revealed. And if you know Sam Raimi, you know that usually means one thing: he’s about to let the chaos speak for itself.

On paper, Send Help feels deceptively simple — just two people stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. And honestly, that’s what made me curious. Where does the horror come from? How does Raimi inject gore and madness into such a contained setup? As someone who’s watched way too many horror movies for their own good, I kind of pieced things together early on. Did that ruin the experience? Not really. If anything, it felt like I finally cracked the formula.

The movie takes its time, and yes, it’s a little slow — but very intentionally so. Raimi clearly wants to justify where this story ends up. He wants you to loathe Bradley with every fibre of your being and to root for Linda long before things truly spiral. And honestly? I didn’t need much convincing. Power dynamics, corporate cruelty, and ego-driven abuse are already terrifying enough without any supernatural elements.

Raimi’s signature style is present almost immediately. The camera movements, the framing, the way tension is allowed to simmer before exploding — it’s all unmistakably him. This isn’t a loud horror movie filled with constant scares, but it is deeply unsettling. There’s this persistent dread of uncertainty: will you ever escape? Is survival actually worse than death? That lingering discomfort sat heavy with me and genuinely made my stomach turn at times.

When the gore finally arrives, Raimi does what Raimi does best. Unfortunately, watching this in Malaysia meant dealing with censorship, and you can definitely feel that some moments were cut or toned down. It dulled the impact slightly, and I’m really hoping an uncut version makes its way to streaming because this feels like a film that deserves to be seen in full, bloody glory.

That said, Send Help is still a damn solid watch — especially for an early-year horror release. Let’s be real: January and February horror films are usually… questionable (Night Swim, The Grudge, Imaginary — I’m looking at you). But Send Help breaks that curse. It’s tense, character-driven, and mean in a way that feels deliberate rather than lazy.

Rachel McAdams is phenomenal — no surprises there. She fully embodies Linda’s transformation, and it’s genuinely satisfying to watch. And props to Dylan for playing one of the most punchable bosses in recent horror memory. He understood the assignment and absolutely nailed it.

All in all, Send Help might not reinvent the genre, but it delivers strong performances, solid storytelling, and that unmistakable Sam Raimi flavour. For me, that’s more than enough.

Rating: (7/10)