Sam Raimi’s Send Help Trailer Released

They are not in the office anymore. And no help is coming.

The legendary Sam Raimi, the man who gave the world chainsaw-wielding heroes and screeching Deadites, is returning to the big screen next year with Send Help, a darkly comedic psychological thriller from 20th Century Studios. The first official trailer has dropped, and it is as gloriously tense, strange, and absurd as you would hope from the director of The Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell.

While this one does not dive headfirst into supernatural chaos, it is still unmistakably Raimi. There is that manic energy, that sharp editing rhythm that somehow makes even a stare feel dangerous, and of course, the kind of jet-black humour that creeps in at the worst possible moments. You might not get demons this time around, but you can absolutely expect breakdowns, power struggles, and people making poor life choices while very sweaty.

In Send Help, Rachel McAdams stars as Linda Liddle, a high-achieving professional who suddenly finds herself trapped on a deserted island with her co-worker Bradley Preston, played by Dylan O’Brien. Following a horrific plane crash, the pair discover they are the only survivors, left to battle the elements, their inner demons, and each other. What starts as an uneasy alliance quickly spirals into something much darker, and according to the trailer, possibly hilarious in that “I am losing my mind, please stop laughing” sort of way.

The cast is stacked with talent, featuring Edyll Ismail from La Brea, Dennis Haysbert from Far from Heaven, Xavier Samuel from Elvis, Chris Pang from Crazy Rich Asians, Thaneth Warakulnukroh from Thai Cave Rescue, and Emma Raimi, who you might recall from Happy Pills. That last name is no coincidence—yes, she is Sam Raimi’s daughter, continuing the family’s fine tradition of acting, directing, and possibly being terrorised by her dad’s creative visions.

The film’s premise is simple but juicy. Two survivors. One island. Zero chance of staying sane. Raimi describes it as a story about “power shifts” and “characters pushed to extremes.” Given that this is the same filmmaker who once made a woman wrestle a possessed goat and somehow made it both terrifying and hilarious, that promise alone is enough to sell a ticket.

“Interesting, dynamic characters pushed to extremes,” Raimi said of the project. “In our story, the power shifts create an escalating situation that’s brimming with unexpected turns and suspense.” Translation: Rachel McAdams might cave in Dylan O’Brien’s head with a coconut by the forty-minute mark.

Behind the scenes, Raimi is working with some serious genre pedigree. The script comes from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the duo responsible for Freddy vs. Jason and Friday the 13th—two films that proved horror and absurdity can absolutely hold hands. Danny Elfman, Raimi’s frequent musical accomplice and the man who can make a single violin sound like it’s plotting your death, is composing the score.

The result looks like a survival thriller filtered through Raimi’s twisted lens, blending human drama with claustrophobic tension and that signature gleeful streak of madness. Think Cast Away meets Misery, but if both characters were a little more unhinged and a lot less polite. Judging from the trailer, there are bruises, blood, and plenty of passive-aggressive coconut sharing.

There is a strange beauty to seeing Raimi return to the stripped-back chaos of two people trapped in a life-or-death situation. It is a reminder that even without demonic possession or haunted cabins, he can still find horror in human behaviour. You do not need an ancient book of the dead when you have two office workers forced to share a palm leaf.

Send Help crashes into theatres on January 30, 2026, courtesy of 20th Century Studios. Expect biting dialogue, plenty of sweat, and at least one person yelling “We are not going to die here!” right before they do.

So if you are tired of endless superhero multiverses and crave something a little nastier, a little weirder, and a lot more human, this might just be the cinematic life raft you need.

And remember, in Sam Raimi’s world, the only thing scarier than evil spirits is trying to maintain workplace civility while stranded on an island with your least favourite co-worker.

Watch the trailer below and prepare to lose faith in team-building exercises forever.