‘SEND HELP’ Review: Sam Raimi & Co. Deliver a Diabolical, Demented and Deranged Delight

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

SEND HELP

Rated R, 1 hour and 53 minutes

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Xavier Samuel, Edyll Ismail

Sam Raimi’s SEND HELP proves that the horror-comedy genre should never die – it should just continue to be reincarnated for the rest of time. Together with writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift’s tightly-tuned two-hander and the dynamically layered performances from its leads, the often imitated, rarely duplicated auteur crafts a perfectly sick and twisted, razor-sharp masterclass in filmmaking. Not only does it feel like a satisfying catharsis for those who’ve ever dealt with a boss from hell, this lean, mean, gleefully gnarly machine is wildly entertaining, causing us to scream and squirm long enough to go in for the kill.

Frumpy, awkward Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is lonely. The only things in her life are her bird Sweetie, her die-hard love of the TV show SURVIVOR and her long-suffering gig in Strategy and Planning at Preston Strategic Solutions. She’s socially awkward around her colleagues, unsuccessfully attempting to score an invite to an after-work karaoke outing. She’s also a doormat for the executives, who take advantage of her intelligence and exploit her kindness. Yet her intense focus on climbing the corporate ladder is destined to pay off – or so she thinks.

Having been promised a salary and title bump by the former CEO, Linda’s hopes are dashed once his arrogant, haughty son Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) arrives. Amongst his sweeping changes are passing Linda over, giving her promotion to his smarmy, absolutely inexperienced friend Donovan (Xavier Samuel). He also wants to move her workspace after an offending tuna fish sandwich incident occurs. Thinking she can impress Bradley and turn the situation around, she joins him and his business bros on a private jet bound for a meeting in Bangkok. However, their plane crashes somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand, leaving the two polar opposites stranded on a remote island, turning Linda’s survival skills into a very big deal. Madness, mayhem, horror and hilarity ensue.

Starting Linda’s journey at her lowest point is the smartest move in a long line of brilliant creative decisions. It instantly ingratiates us to her plight. Everyone feels empathy for the bullied heroine as she’s ruthlessly mocked by the executives watching her SURVIVOR audition video just before their plane plummets into the ocean. So when the tables quickly turn in her favor, our rooting interest lies firmly with her… at least until circumstances inevitably arise that cause us to question her methods, actions, and sanity. Your allegiance might even flip completely to where you sympathize with Bradley’s predicament. Role reversals and power plays continually lurk in the subtext of the pair’s schemes. Still, the filmmakers are always responsive, subtly escorting us back onto her side where it’s more fun to champion a scrappy anti-hero.

There’s also no greater joy than seeing a “they messed with the wrong girl” story play out. The film is at its best when Linda harnesses her Annie Wilkes-inspired gusto, going to dark places. Her island glow-up is impeccably handled. The plane crash sequence delivers karmic justice to her tormentors. But we are absolutely giddy witnessing the elevated frights, from the psychological mind games Linda reactively instigates with Bradley to teach him lessons to her ghastly late-night vision of Bradley’s gorgeous fiancé Zuri (Edyll Ismail, who’s perpetually introduced into scenes blingy diamond engagement ring first), representing a specter of guilt, haunting Linda on the beach. The sentiment Linda quotes, “Monsters aren’t born. They’re created,” reverberates throughout the picture, from the characters’ construction to their psychological interplay and all out warfare.

Raimi’s horror hallmarks are all incorporated with the greatest of ease, craft and care. Eagle-eyed fans will have fun spotting his signature Easter Eggs (like the Bruce Campbell and yellow Oldsmobile cameos). He utilizes his iconic aesthetics for maximum impact, specifically during Linda’s hunting of the wild boar where he not only gives us the boar’s POV (captured in Raimi-cam/ EVIL DEAD-cam), but also drenches his actors with blood and barf. Plus, the scene where a starved Bradley eats a bug is a real marvel in gross-out gaggery.

Crafts teams also earn top marks. Danny Elfman’s score reflects fresh sensibilities within his trademark stylized compositions which steadily mount throughout the course of the film, taking hold in the dénouement. The minimalistic choral elements augment Linda’s arc, playing like a complimentary track to her inner psyche. Costume designer Anna Cahill’s wardrobe selections enhance character designs and interact with environmental changes, like Donovan’s suspenders (which serve a darkly hilarious purpose) and Linda’s gradually loosening, mousey garments that transform into capris, a modest bathing suit and a boyfriend style shirt within the microcosm of island living.

Cinematographer Bill Pope delivers a study of two worlds, showcased in the juxtaposition between the duo’s greige-toned inner-office conflicts and their saturated paradise gambits. Once the castaways’ brawling begins, the color palette innocuously shifts yet again, exploring Linda’s dream life versus her sobering reality. Editor Bob Murawski’s work is tremendous, demonstrating a healthy sense of wit and humor, perhaps best exemplified by a third act match cut that brings the house down.

McAdams and O’Brien are terrific in berserker mode together, while also individually establishing their characters. From moment one, McAdams is making nuanced choices with her physicality to portray this put-upon sad sack – her gait and facial expressions can be tracked through the character’s evolution. She digs deep into wells of vulnerability, strength and hope. She’s effervescent and prickly, sincere and scary, comedic and caustic. O’Brien infuses his character with a dastardly sense of smugness while exploring the character’s deep-seated anxieties and insecurities. Whether Bradley is frustrated (building shelter) or famished (eating octopus), he channels a Tom Hanks-ish style of comedic expressions.

A kissing cousin to MISERY, PHANTOM THREAD and TRIANGLE OF SADNESS in its thematic ties and social commentary, SEND HELP is perfection. This tale is exceptionally suited to Raimi’s artistic panache, and should be cherished along the same lines as DRAG ME TO HELL (which also features a complex female anti-hero). Unlike that film, though, this one is for lovers of the “Girl Who Is Going To Be Okay” contemporary subgenre. Bloody, radical and totally savage, it’s full of edge of your seat thrills that are built to see again and again. 

Grade: 5 out of 5

SEND HELP opens in theaters on January 30.