Check out the first look at iconic director Sam Raimi‘s new survival horror, which sounds like it is going to be as funny as it is thrilling. Raimi’s Send Help was written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, and follows two co-workers who hate each other (Dylan O’Brien and Rachel McAdams), who are the sole survivors of a plane crash, stranded together on a desert island.
McAdams’ Linda Liddle is an underappreciated employee, whose boss is O’Brien’s Bradley Preston. However, Bradley becomes dependent on Linda when he is injured in the crash. Described as a psychological horror thriller and a dark comedy, Send Help is slated to hit theaters on January 30, 2026. Entertainment Weekly released some exclusive first images from the new movie; check them out below:
“Rachel’s character has just been washed ashore from a plane crash and is the only survivor, along with her terrible boss,” says Raimi to EW. “It’s the beginning of their time on the island, and Linda is just starting to put her survivalist hobbies to the test.“
Rami continues: “Watching a once-powerful boss find himself dependent on someone he underestimated is satisfying. Our story is universal! We need to encourage our society to treat people with respect and kindness, regardless of status. It’s especially rewarding to see our heroine, Linda, come into her own in such an unexpected environment.“
Send Help is produced by Raimi and Zainab Azizi and is being distributed by 20th Century Studios. Raimi and Azizi were recently both producers on the Bill Skarsgård-led horror Locked. In addition to his fame for the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, Raimi is a staple of the horror genre and has several more horror producer credits coming up.
However, Send Help is Raimi’s first directorial venture since the poorly received MCU installment Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, positioning it as a potential comeback for him. McAdams stars in this feature as Dr. Christine Palmer, reprising her role from 2016’s Doctor Strange, and potentially setting the stage for this collaboration with Raimi.
McAdams is a rom-com icon, ironically known for playing the love interest to multiple time travelers, but her career also extends to feel-good action movies like Game Night and critically acclaimed pieces like Spotlight. In addition to her MCU appearances, she also recently starred in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and just signed on to Netflix’s new AI thriller.
O’Brien, meanwhile, is known for the young adult hits Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner, but also features in 2024’s Saturday Night and saw even greater success with this year’s critically acclaimed comedy Twinless. He has several more upcoming projects, including the star-studded political thriller Anniversary, releasing on October 29.
Send Help also reportedly features Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians) and Dennis Haysbert (24) in supporting roles. While it offers new opportunities for McAdams and O’Brien to shine in an intense picture that is not necessarily within either of their signature genres, all eyes will be on Sam Raimi to see if he can still produce modern horror classics.
