Send Help is an Entertaining Gore Bath that Subverts Expectations

I think this is going to be one of the most unique and surprising horror films to be released in 2026. It has literally been almost two decades since Sam Raimi made another horror film this intense, and wow, he did not disappoint! I was so glad that I went to check out the early prescreening to the film, the story took so many twists and turns that I did not see coming!

The audience I got in the theater also added to the experience, because it was kind of hilarious to hear the shocked reactions of everyone around me. It's 100% the perfect horror movie to watch with an audience!

It was disgusting, violent, and filled with dark comedy moments that honestly killed me multiple times in the theater!

Warning: Please turn back now, if you don't want any spoilers to the film! It will be coming out next Friday, on January 30th, if you want to check out the film for yourself!

We follow the story of a woman named Linda Liddle, who is having a rough life in the office.

Linda is not exactly well liked by her office peers, who often take advantage of her, due to her being seen as the 'office outcast.' One employee takes credit for her work in the office in the beginning of the film, and even though she notices this, she does not bother to stand up for herself. Linda also fails to talk to her other co - workers, who appear to find her annoying, because of her terrible social skills. 

Instead, she goes home, to talk to her pet bird, talking about her dreams of getting a promotion in the office. Linda appears to be obsessed with surviving in the wild, owning multiple books, or watching a survival television show with her bird. 

The next day, she goes back to the office, to learn that she is now getting a new boss, which is the son of the man she once worked hard for. His name is Bradley, and is revealed to be a major piece of shit, treating her like crap right away, while making fun of her along with his co - worker buddies. 

Linda goes over to confront Bradley about the loss of a job promotion, when it is given to the same guy who took credit for her work before. She is suddenly invited on a work trip, and she decides to tag along, to prove to Bradley that she has what it takes to get the promotion. 

When she boards the plane with Bradley and his co - workers, she begins to write up a letter to the company, determined to get the job. She then overhears Bradley and the co - workers making fun of her while watching her audition tape for a survival show, breaking her ambition. Bradley notices her discomfort, but he continues anyway, not giving a damn about her feelings. Linda deletes the letter, and suddenly, disaster strikes. 

Their trip takes a turn for the worst, and the plane malfunctions, crashing into the ocean. Many of Linda's co - workers are killed before they hit the water, and she escapes from the plane while in the water. She awakens on an island, in pure shock with her new terrible situation. 

Linda finds another survivor, who turns out to be her awful boss.

Linda uses her survival skills to help Bradley, and she saves his life. Despite many ups and downs between them, due to Bradley's awful attitude and treatment of her, they eventually start to form a bond. They become friends, the two of them starting to get along, after Linda brings home the meat of a wild boar. Sometime later, Linda discovers a boat that is passing by the island, but she decides to hold off on telling Bradley. 

During one night, both of them reveal dark secrets to each other, about their pasts. Bradley tells Linda that he became a monster himself, after his father left him with his abusive mother. Linda also tells Bradley about her past marriage, that was not a happy one. He had died in a car accident, after a horrible argument between them. He had been drinking at the time, and Linda decided to let him take the car keys, a mistake that led to Linda blaming herself for his death. 

Linda boldly states to Bradley that perhaps they should live on the island forever, and we cut to the next day. Linda finds Bradley taking a bath in the water, and she freaks out, revealing that she is starting to harbor some feelings for him. They continue to experience hardships on the island, and one of them turns out to be a heavy storm. The duo run to a cave to take shelter, and Linda appears surprised and grateful by Bradley trying to comfort her. 

The next day, they prepare to build a new shelter, since they had lost their old one during the storm. Bradley offers to cook Linda dinner, as a thank you for everything. She accepts, and dolls herself up, believing that Bradley is showing romantic interest in her. Bradley poisons her food with some berries that she had warned him about before, and he attempts to escape the island on a raft that he had built. This plan goes wrong, and he is swept back to shore, and Linda is able to revive him. 

Linda obviously does not take the betrayal well. 

Linda scares the hell out of Bradley with a terrifying threat, revealing a hidden dark side.

Linda threatens to cut off a piece of Bradley, by tricking him into believing that she is cutting into him, after she paralyzes him with a fish. It turns out to be a rat, and she leaves him with a scary warning. Bradley is now exhibiting signs of fear and anger toward her after this encounter, but Linda continues to let Bradley live with her, as a peace offering. 

She leaves their shelter to go look for dinner, and she goes into a panic mode when she realizes that Bradley's fiancée arrived at the island, to look for him. Linda lures the fiancée and the driver of the boat to another part of the island, to kill both of them. Linda's motivation is truly revealed here, proving that she does not want to leave the island, and wants Bradley to stay with her forever. 

She goes back to the shelter in a shocked state, but Bradley eventually figures out her dark secret. He shows off the engagement ring that he had given his fiancée, and Linda runs deep into the island to avoid his wrath. 

Linda and Bradley fight to the death, that becomes a bloodbath of pure survival.

This was the part of the film that shocked me to the core. The violence between them as they tried to kill each other was so brutal and hard to watch. Linda strangles and stabs Bradley, while he rips off a piece of her scalp, and almost tears out one of her eyes. 

In retaliation after their bloody battle, Linda decides to swallow the ring of Bradley's fiancée, mocking him in a crazed manner. He storms after her again, but she escapes. He goes after her, and then comes across a house on the island. He breaks in, and we get a shocking twist. 

Linda already knew about the house. She had followed the first boat she had seen, and found the house. She stole a knife to use for their supplies and survival, and she also stole fruit for them to eat. Linda tells Bradley about her plan to keep them there forever, through the intercom system installed within the house. Linda appears with a shotgun, to finally dispose of Bradley, but he uses a declaration of romance to trick Linda. 

They get into another fight, but Linda wins their final battle. She kills him with a golf club, and we cut right to a new present. Linda is now rich and famous, and is being interviewed about her survival on the island. The movie ends with Rachel driving away with her pet bird, who now lives on an island. She breaks the fourth wall, giving the audience a creepy look.

I LOVED THIS FILM. 

I suppose the message for this film, is to always treat people with kindness…but I don't think she would ever have let Bradley off the island. 

Her trauma at the hands of her husband led to her madness, creating a total monster, that showed no mercy to anyone that crossed her path. 

I guess you truly never know the kind of person you are going to end up stuck on an island with. 

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Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn