Raimi’s muse Rachel McAdams Shines.
Over a decade since his last horror film, Sam Raimi still has killer instinct. Raimi’s signature brand of horror that mixes humor, blood, disgust and wacky scares is prevalent throughout Send Help. It’s truly a delight to see after all these years. In the age of “elevated horror”, this is a breath of fresh air (literally). The casting could not have been better. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien have both been underutilized in Hollywood and Raimi trapping them together on an island couldn’t have been more perfect. McAdams had previously worked with Raimi on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Raimi wanted to work with McAdams again, having had a positive experience directing her onset of the Marvel movie and Send Help was a great vessel for their first real collaboration. Both McAdams and O’Brien meet Raimi on the warped plane his films operate in and bring the audience right there with them.
Nepo-baby CEO
The premise for Send Help is as simple as the picture the trailers paint: douchey, nepo-baby CEO Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) and smart, awkward, nerdy hot Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) survive a plane crash and end up stuck on an island together. Luckily for Linda, she’s a Survivor super-fan and nature enthusiast who knows exactly what to do. Frustrated by Linda’s optimism and competence, Bradley struggles to engage with her, rejecting her help every chance he gets and tries to prove himself equally as competent. This song and dance continues throughout the film with Bradley and Linda’s relationship becoming more contentious and aggressive as days and weeks pass. Their stay on the island bubbles to a gory, juicy ending that feels very satisfyingly Raimi.
Social Commentary
The social commentary present in the film is direct, not adding much in terms of depth but it feels cathartic and great to watch. It’s no surprise to the audience that Bradley is useless in a survival situation given his pretentious nature, frat-boy background and haughty vibe. Linda, a hard-worker who’s been with the company for a decade, is, to no one’s surprise, both good at her job and incredibly useful for survival. For the entirety of the film, Bradley cannot get off his high-horse and acknowledge how big of an asset Linda is – to the company or to their own survival. Linda gives Bradley the benefit of the doubt at first, continuing to be kind and take care of him while he continues to fight her – that is, until she doesn’t. Fed up with him and her career stagnation, Linda takes matters into her own hands. It feels so satisfying to watch a corporate bad boy get tortured by a bloody, workaholic Rachel McAdams. In a world where underappreciated and undervalued workers rarely get to stick it to the man, getting to watch a woman do it on-screen feels so sweet.
A film set on a deserted island with two main characters, the casting of McAdams and O’Brien is crucial to Send Help landing and it couldn’t have been better. The two have palpable chemistry on-screen, their warped CEO/employee relationship feeling as real as it is over-the-top, mixed with some will-they won’t-they moments. A tough balance to strike for the pair but they pull it off so well, it’s impossible to question the crazy antics that ensue. Although unnecessary for the actor’s success, the off-screen adoration O’Brien and McAdams have for each other adds a charm to their performances I don’t think would be there otherwise. Their press tour for the film shows off their clearly great behind the scenes relationship, with O’Brien attending McAdam’s star ceremony on the Walk of Fame and Raimi speaking on her behalf.
Overall, this film is an absolute horror delight. An anticipated return to horror for Raimi that did not disappoint and on a smaller-scale, a slashing return to horror for McAdams. Funny, original, campy horror has officially returned to theatres and hopefully it’s here to stay!
