For die-hards, no horror movie can be too scary. But for you, a wimp, the wrong one can leave you miserable. Never fear, scaredies, because Slate’s Scaredy Scale is here to help. We’ve put together a highly scientific and mostly spoiler-free system for rating new horror movies, comparing them with classics along a 10-point scale. And because not everyone is scared by the same things—some viewers can’t stand jump scares, while others are haunted by more psychological terrors or can’t stomach arterial spurts—it breaks down each movie’s scares across three criteria: suspense, spookiness, and gore.
Dust off your Necronomicons and fire up your chainsaws because Sam Raimi is back, baby! The beloved director—best known for his work spanning both the comic book and horror genres, namely the Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogies—has returned with Send Help, his first horror film since 2009’s acclaimed Drag Me to Hell. The fact that the script was written by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, the writing duo behind both Freddy vs. Jason and 2017’s Baywatch, should further tell you that this comeback promises to be both bloody and zany. And so goes Send Help, which follows an overworked and overlooked employee (Rachel McAdams) who butts heads with her fratty nepo baby of a new boss (Dylan O’Brien) as a plane crash leaves them stranded on an island. If Raimi’s résumé tells us anything it’s that ticket holders for Send Help are in for a good ride; the film is receiving pretty favorable reviews and is already predicted to take the top spot at the box office this weekend. But just how grisly of a ride will that be? Let me give you the 4-1-1 so you won’t have to call 9-1-1.
![A chart titled “Suspense: How much will you dread the next kill or jump scare?” shows that Send Help ranks a 5 in suspense, roughly the same as The Sixth Sense. The scale ranges from The Joy of Painting (0) to Alien (10).]](https://www.europesays.com/ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/5464b499-39af-4634-80a2-6a8a6e9799b9.jpeg)
Photo illustration by Slate. Send Help photos by 20th Century Studios.
If you’ve seen Drag Me to Hell, then you might be expecting this movie to be a frightfest. But, when it comes to jumps, Send Help strives for quality over quantity: Thankfully, for the anxious among us, the movie isn’t full of nonstop scares, just a few well-placed ones. Still, it’s worth noting that a couple of those tense moments really addled me and my fellow moviegoers. Of course, the plane crash itself is pretty loud (if leavened by some airborne slapstick), but the more intense jolts come later on, as the two workmates find themselves alone with just each other, fighting for survival. After all, an abandoned island can be a dangerous place to be, if not for the island itself, than for the company you keep. The shocks are actually so few and far between that it would be a spoiler to even hint at them, but I can assure you that, though your heart rate will certainly spike here and there, suspense will not be the overriding feeling you’ll have while watching this movie.
Photo illustration by Slate. Send Help photos by 20th Century Studios.
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If there’s one thing that’s simply not up for debate, it’s how much Raimi loves to disgust his audience, whether that’s through the more niche revolting details or via the ole classic: vats and vats of blood. Send Help is no different. There are a number of scenes in which crimson geysers burst forth, but perhaps none flow more amply than in a scene that had my audience roaring, when McAdams’ previously meek corporate strategist attempts to hunt a boar. Eyeballs are gouged, knives are wielded, and all that’s to say nothing of the particularly gruesome deaths one would expect in an aviation disaster directed by Raimi. If you’re like me and can tolerate gore but perhaps have a harder time with the Fear Factor school of squick, I’m here to tell you that this movie has plenty of that, too, with vomiting and the kinds of creepy-crawly, high-protein meals that only the truly starving would resort to eating. All of which is to say, if you’re someone who prefers to see bodily liquids stay inside of the human form, maybe you should stay inside and sit this one out.
Photo illustration by Slate. Send Help photos by 20th Century Studios.
As always, spookiness tends to be the one category where viewers’ mileage most varies, and Send Help will similarly provoke a wide range of outcomes. To be clear: This flick is so fun! Our theater was laughing and cheering at least as much as it was screaming! For most people, the lasting feeling once the credits roll will likely be: Man, what a time! However, if you’re a specific type of person who has some particular phobias, this movie might be a difficult watch for you. In particular, for people who have severe fears of flying, the crash scene is going to be hard to bear, and might stick with you. However, if you’re not as sensitive to this variety of freak accident, the movie really isn’t that spooky at all—it’s mostly an entertaining romp. The only people to whom this story truly serves as a cautionary tale are asshole bosses.
Photo illustration by Slate. Send Help photos by 20th Century Studios.
Send Help, if you can stomach it, is a delight. It doesn’t take itself seriously at all, has a little something to keep everyone on their toes, and is led by two great performances. With that being said, while Raimi’s latest is the type of movie that’s not all that unnerving generally, it could be deeply disturbing to specific groups of people, like those with aerophobia or who thought Lost was too frightening. I guess it could also be something of a tough watch for smarmy jerks who inherit Fortune 500 companies and mistreat their workers, but they deserve the nightmares.
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