Sam Raimi’s ‘Send Help’ Marks Bloody Return to R-Rated Horror

After a long stretch away from the genre, Sam Raimi is making a comeback with a new survival horror flick, ‘Send Help’. For the first time in a quarter of a century, one of his films has copped an R rating, a move that’s sure to please fans who’ve missed his more full-on style. The last time Raimi went this hard was with ‘The Gift’ back in 2000, but since then he’s mostly stuck to tamer fare like ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’.

‘Send Help’ stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, with a supporting cast including Xavier Samuel, Dennis Haysbert, Chris Pang, Emma Raimi, and Edyll Ismail. The script comes from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the duo behind ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ and the 2009 ‘Friday the 13th’ reboot. The film’s been rated R for “strong/bloody violence and language”, so punters can expect things to get pretty gnarly.

Survival Stakes and Star Power

The story follows two workmates who end up stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash, forced to put old grudges aside if they want to make it out alive. It’s a classic battle of wits and willpower, with the odds stacked against them at every turn. The official synopsis sums it up:

"Send Help" is a survival horror thriller about two colleagues who become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.

The film is set for a cinema release on 30 January 2026, with early screenings kicking off from 24 January. With a cast like this and Raimi back in the director’s chair, there’s plenty of buzz building already.

Raimi’s Signature Mayhem

Raimi’s known for putting his actors through the wringer, and it sounds like ‘Send Help’ is no exception. Chatting to Empire Magazine, he admitted to getting a bit carried away on set:

"I threw vomit in Dylan's face. Throwing blood in Rachel's face, throwing water in her face, poking her with sticks. Okay, yeah, I might have poked her with a stick once."

He’s got form for this sort of thing—back in the day, he used real bugs in ‘Drag Me To Hell’, and there’s footage of Alison Lohman getting absolutely covered in them during filming.

Dylan O’Brien took it all in stride, joking,

"Puke in the face, yeah. It was mangoes that looked like berries, but I guess it was mango."

Rachel McAdams backed him up, saying,

"He will not allow anyone else to be the gunk-thrower."

She added,

"I thought he was kidding the first time, when he threw a bucket of water in my face, when the plane goes into the water. Nope! He takes his job very seriously. He practices. He rehearses."

Back to His Roots

Raimi’s return to a more brutal, hands-on style is a throwback to his early days, when he made a name for himself with the ‘Evil Dead’ series. Those films were notorious for their over-the-top gore and physical comedy, and it looks like he’s bringing some of that old mischief back for ‘Send Help’. Fans who’ve been waiting for him to cut loose again will be keen to see what he’s cooked up this time around.