Sam Raimi proves he's still the master of genre-bending chaos with Send Help, a wickedly entertaining survival thriller that transforms a toxic workplace into a literal island battleground. The film, which topped the domestic box office with a $20 million opening weekend, stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien as Linda Liddle and Bradley Preston—two colleagues forced to confront their corporate power dynamics after surviving a plane crash on a remote Thai island.
A Fresh Take on Desert Island Drama
Unlike typical stranded-at-sea stories focused on romance or class warfare, Send Help weaponizes workplace abuse as its central tension. Linda is the overqualified strategist who keeps Preston Consulting afloat despite bringing tuna sandwiches to work, while Bradley is the textbook nepo baby who inherits the CEO position from his late father and immediately breaks his promise to promote her. When their business trip to Bangkok ends in catastrophe, only these two wash ashore—Bradley with a sprained ankle, and Linda with survival skills honed from binge-watching reality TV.
Director Sam Raimi, returning to R-rated horror for the first time since 2000's The Gift, injects his signature visual flair into every frame. "I've always loved stories where interesting, dynamic characters are pushed to extremes," Raimi explained in promotional materials. The film delivers on that promise through sequences like Linda's visceral boar hunt and the heart-stopping plane crash that justify the R rating while extracting dark comedy from the absurdity.
Critical Acclaim Meets Box Office Success
Send Help earned a Certified Fresh 92% critics score and an impressive 89% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes—Raimi's best audience score in 39 years, matching Evil Dead II. Deadline praised McAdams for delivering "possibly her finest performance to date," noting how she navigates Linda's quirky personality without veering into caricature. The Hollywood Reporter highlighted Raimi's "exuberant zeal" in pushing boundaries while keeping audiences engaged through unexpected narrative twists.
The film has grossed $28.1 million worldwide against its modest $40 million budget, positioning it as a steady February performer rather than a front-loaded debut. This performance significantly outpaces Raimi's last original genre feature, 2009's Drag Me to Hell, which opened to just $15.8 million.
Why It Works
What makes Send Help resonate is its fearless blend of corporate satire, psychological horror, and social commentary. Screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift clearly had fun anticipating audience reactions with each twist, while McAdams and O'Brien ground the escalating tension in believable character work. The film tackles themes of workplace inequality and gender dynamics without sacrificing entertainment value, creating what one critic described as "a wild, uncomfortable ride" that somehow remains wildly enjoyable.
For audiences craving smart, original horror that doesn't insult their intelligence, Send Help delivers an unforgettable experience that proves workplace revenge fantasies pair perfectly with tropical survival chaos.
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