Horror director Sam Raimi will soon make a comeback after being absent from the industry for several years. His upcoming release is the highly anticipated thriller starring major stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, Send Help, which will land in theaters next January. Although the movie sits outside the supernatural horror spectrum Raimi is known for, the director has teased an “outrageous” story that does follow his usual signature style.
The Darkman director recently spoke to Empire magazine, teasing his next movie as a wild ride (see the trailer below), even by his standards. Raimi is famous for incorporating absurd touches into his movies, and apparently, his new survival thriller will be no exception:
“It’s a battle of wills. Its theme is that of power dynamics being turned on their head. The fellas [screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift] pitched the story, and I laughed and couldn’t believe they were doing this. It was really outrageous, even for me, who makes outrageous horror films.”
Sam Raimi is a master of horror, famous for films like the Evil Dead movies and Drag Me to Hell. However, his versatility as a storyteller has also allowed him to direct several superhero hits like the first Spider-Man movies, thrillers like A Simple Plan, and fantasy films like Oz the Great and Powerful. There really is no limit to what he can do. But with Send Help, it appears that he’s going back to his roots of psychological thrillers and pure horror.
What Is Sam Raimi’s ‘Send Help’ About?
Send Help is set to be released by 20th Century Studios on January 30, 2026, a controversial slot for movies, as viewers don’t tend to go to the movies at the beginning of the year. Raimi returns to direct after a four-year hiatus, although his last project was fairly different (he directed the MCU sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022). Swift and Shannon are given another shot at horror, after they tackled scripts for Freddy Vs. Jason and the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th. They also wrote the 2017 movie adaptation Baywatch, but everyone really just wants to forget that actually happened.
McAdams and O’Brien play the leads, and the supporting cast includes Dennis Haysbert, Xavier Samuel, Emma Raimi, and Edyll Ismail, among others. The film follows Linda and Bradley, an office employee and her boss, who must overcome their differences when they become the sole survivors in a plane crash. Stranded on an island, they must find a way to survive as a team.
While it’s vastly different from his previous films, especially the Evil Dead movies, Raimi does feel there’s something similar between the plots. He says to Empire: “There is a similarity. But it’s not some outside force they’re dealing with here. What they’re coming to terms with is who they really are. And as the layers start shedding, we see certain conflicts emerge.”
- Release Date
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January 30, 2026
- Director
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Sam Raimi