YNOT at the Movies

Stranded far from civilization, with nothing but old grudges and raw instinct for company, this is a survival story that understands the most dangerous thing on the island is not the wildlife. Sam Raimi turns a sun-drenched paradise into a psychological trap in "Send Help" (USA 2025 | 113 min.), blending gnarly horror and dark comedy with a wicked sense of timing. The film keeps tightening its grip, finding humor in cruelty and shock in moments that almost feel like punchlines.

After a plane crash strands two colleagues on a remote island near Thailand, Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) and Bradley Preston (Dylan O'Brien) emerge as the only survivors, forced into an uneasy partnership to stay alive. What begins as a stripped-down tale of endurance quickly mutates into a battle of wills shaped by unresolved office politics and long-simmering resentment. When Linda finally states, "no help is coming," it states less as a discovery than a chilling confirmation, sealing the fact that the old rules of hierarchy, civility, and office politics have long since evaporated in this film.

The film largely operates as a focused two-character survival duel, with Rachel McAdams and (Dylan O'Brien carrying the tension without ever letting it sag.

Linda, initially presented as an overlooked, slightly nerdy employee, proves to be resourceful, adaptable, and unnervingly smart. Her job in strategic planning turns into a survival blueprint and, eventually, a tool for control. Rachel McAdams charts the character's evolution with unsettling precision, letting competence slide into calculation and then into something colder and more deliberate.

Bradley, by contrast, steadily unravels. Dylan O'Brien plays him as a smug, entitled boss whose authority evaporates the moment hierarchy disappears. His confidence collapses into panic and cruelty, and there is a grim, darkly comic pleasure in watching him discover just how useless charm and corporate posturing are without power to back them up.

Director Sam Raimi keeps the tone dancing on a razor's edge. The few jump scares are not only effective but mischievously funny, snapping into place with timing that turns fear into laughter. The violence can be gruesome, but it is staged with a heightened, almost elastic sensibility, while Danny Elfman's score nudges the madness forward, amplifying the uneasy blend of menace and amusement.

When the film reaches its final stretch, it has fully embraced its twisted identity. Part survival thriller, part workplace revenge fantasy, and part horror comedy, it delivers a savage amount of entertainment while proving that when escape is impossible and "no help is coming," the real spectacle is watching civility fall apart.

"Send Help" opens in theaters on Friday, January 30, 2026.