Send Help review: Castaway meets Misery in wildly entertaining horror romp

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Send Help throws Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien into a darkly funny and scary story about being stranded on a desert island. It’s a surprisingly unsettling film that still manages to leave you feeling satisfied.

Sam Raimi’s personality shines through in all his films. He famously used actor Bruce Campbell as a stand-in for himself in the Evil Dead movies, and while Spider-Man and Doctor Strange featured big stars, Raimi’s unique filmmaking style is always evident.

Visually, the film will be energetic and distinctive, featuring fast-paced camera movements, tilted angles, quick zooms, and extreme close-ups. It will also employ a unique point-of-view shot known as the ‘Raimi-cam’. Expect over-the-top, cartoon-inspired physical comedy, sudden scares mixed with unexpected changes in mood, and plenty of exaggerated special effects involving fluids.

Send Help offers the creator’s signature style, resulting in a darkly funny film packed with laughs, surprises, and genuine scares.

What is Send Help about?

Okay, so I just started playing this game called Send Help, and you play as Linda Liddle, voiced by Rachel McAdams. She’s been working at this company for ages in the Strategy and Planning department, and her boss keeps promising her a huge promotion. It’s setting up to be a classic ‘waiting for something that might not happen’ kind of story, which I’m totally into!

However, things get off to a bad start when Bradley Preston becomes her new boss. It soon becomes clear this doesn’t matter, though, as Preston isn’t going to recognize her dedication with a promotion – he gives it to a friend he plays golf with instead.

Bradley arranges a trip to Bangkok with Linda, hoping to finalize a business merger. However, his real plan is to transfer her to a different office afterward, simply because he finds her presence – and especially her tuna sandwich – irritating.

During the trip, their plane crashes in a dramatic and well-executed scene. Linda survives, but finds herself stranded at sea and eventually washes ashore on a deserted island.

Bradley washes up on the island, severely injured and unconscious. This is when things begin to change, thanks to Linda’s unique abilities.

Who is Linda Liddle?

At the beginning of the film, Linda seems isolated and uncomfortable – she doesn’t have any friends at work, and her only companion is a pet bird. To occupy her time, she becomes completely absorbed in watching the reality show, Survivor.

Linda is a dedicated fan of the show – she doesn’t miss an episode and devours every book and guide about wilderness survival. She even tried out for the show herself! A clip of her audition surfaces, which cleverly shows the audience just how skilled she is.

This situation unexpectedly puts Bradley, who is normally in control, at a disadvantage when he wakes up. Unable to move while Linda takes care of essential tasks like gathering food, building a fire, and finding shelter, he responds by criticizing her efforts and asserting his authority over her.

Linda has finally had enough of being taken advantage of. She leaves, using her skills to survive on a different part of the island, and doesn’t return until Preston is desperate. Then, the situation shifts from a simple survival story to something much darker, resembling the dynamic in the movie Misery.

She came back and announced they were no longer at the office, then warned Bradley not to confuse her kindness with being easily taken advantage of. This marked the start of a psychological game between them – a conflict that quickly grew, as the two estranged individuals fought, deceived, and undermined each other for the next hour.

McAdams and O’Brien deliver deliriously entertaining turns

The clever setup and the satisfyingly frightening consequences are thanks to screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon. They bring their expertise in horror – honed from films like Friday the 13th and Freddy vs. Jason – and their knack for comedy, demonstrated in movies like Shark Tale and the Baywatch film.

Send Help skillfully combines different storytelling styles, revealing just enough background information to build empathy, create unexpected twists, and keep you guessing until the very end.

The filmmakers have found a great match in Raimi, as his style, though different on the surface from his 2009 film Drag Me to Hell, delivers the same blend of intense thrills and dark humor, making this feel like a spiritual successor.

Raimi gets wonderfully energetic performances from his lead actors. O’Brien convincingly plays a thoroughly unpleasant corporate villain, and McAdams surprises audiences by starting as a shy, quiet character before dramatically changing as the island’s energy brings out a new side of her.

The film truly shines during its big action and horror scenes, expertly crafted by director Sam Raimi and his cinematographer, Bill Pope. These sequences, like the fight with a wild boar (shown from the boar’s perspective!) and the chaotic battles between heroes and villains, feel like something straight out of a classic, over-the-top Looney Tunes cartoon.

The movie features intensely graphic scenes with blood, mucus, and vomit, and it’s clear the director, Raimi, enjoyed pushing his actors to their limits while filming them.

Is Send Help good?

Send Help isn’t a show for all viewers, as it deals with difficult topics and features characters who often act badly. Plus, the show’s fast-paced, over-the-top style and dark humor, inspired by Sam Raimi, might not appeal to everyone.

The movie includes a jump scare reminiscent of his earlier work on Evil Dead, which fans of that film might appreciate, though it feels out of place. Additionally, a major plot twist is fairly obvious from the beginning, so most viewers will likely predict it.

Thankfully, the story doesn’t depend on a sudden change of heart from anyone involved. If you can handle disturbing content and enjoy dark, complex stories about the worst sides of human nature, then Send Help is hilarious and consistently funny from start to finish.

Send Help score: 4/5

Send Help is released in US cinemas on January 30 2026, while it hits UK screens on February 5.

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2026-01-26 20:20