Send Help Review: A Gory Survival Thriller With a Twist

Just when I thought The Housemaid took the cake for psychological thrillers with unpredictable plot twists and gore, Send Help arrived with a unique storyline that hooked me from start to finish. This theatrical masterpiece hit nationwide cinemas on January 30. Directed by Sam Raimi and featuring a mind-bending script by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, Send Help takes you on a survival journey you never expected.

Send Help tells the story of a victim who has finally had enough of bullying. Life presents her with an unusual opportunity: leaving her oppressor at her mercy on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere. With absolutely no supplies and relying on pure instinct, it might not sound like much on paper. However, Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien carry this hour-and-forty-six-minute psychological thriller on their backs effortlessly.

Premise

The story of Send Help revolves around the dedicated Linda. She has worked as a company strategist for seven years. Due to unfortunate circumstances, her previously kind CEO passes away, leaving the company’s fate in the hands of his insufferable son, Bradley. Unfortunately, Bradley fails to see Linda’s value. Instead, he ignorantly awards the Vice President promotion, a position Linda has worked toward for years, to Donovan.

This news crushes Linda’s spirit. She expresses her dissatisfaction by confronting Bradley directly. To pacify her, he offers to let her fly with the team to Bangkok to finalize a company merger. However, his hidden agenda involves transferring her to a different office, citing her lack of charisma and questionable fashion sense.

While on Bradley’s private jet, Linda takes the liberty of working on the ledger. Meanwhile, Donovan sees an opportunity to humiliate her by playing an old video of Linda auditioning for a reality TV show called The Survivors. They all laugh hysterically at Linda’s expense, and she soon realizes she is the joke. Consequently, she gets upset and deletes the merger report she had worked on throughout the flight.

As though Linda’s anger summoned a series of bad luck, the plane hits a storm that rips it apart. Only two lucky survivors emerge: Linda and Bradley. Linda makes it out unscathed. Bradley, on the other hand, is not so lucky; he sustains an injury that leaves him temporarily immobile on the island where the ocean washes them up.

Generously, Linda uses her survival skills to care for him. She builds a small shelter, makes a fire, hunts a wild boar, and finds clean water. Despite Linda’s optimism about the situation, Bradley misses his old life and pleads with her to devise an escape plan. Surprisingly, Linda appears uninterested in leaving the island. She shows her reluctance by building an even better shelter, finding better food, and letting Bradley attempt to build a distress signal all alone.

Eventually, Bradley realizes that help is never coming. He soon joins Linda in the delusion of making this island their home. However, that delusion wears off quickly when Linda makes a gruesome confession about killing her husband. There and then, Bradley realizes Linda is not who he thought she was, and he must get off the island, one way or another.

Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien in Send Help

Cast and Performances

Send Help features a small cast, primarily focusing on two people. For a movie centered on a duo, they outdid themselves and performed remarkably well.

Rachel McAdams as Linda

Rachel plays the role of poor Linda, but with a twist I never saw coming. Linda represents that employee who struggles to fit in; being a nerd leaves her at a disadvantage, as everyone offloads tasks onto her without giving any credit. She talks to her parrot not out of affection, but out of pure loneliness. That is why being stuck on an island feels more like heaven than hell for her. She had no life aside from her job, and that isolation marred her psychologically.

Rachel delivered exactly what the role required without holding back. Her character is one you would love to hate. However, if you have enjoyed the movies I recommended in the past, you will definitely love Rachel’s twisted portrayal of Linda.

Dylan O’Brien as Bradley

Dylan plays the despicable Bradley, the successor of a Fortune 500 company he clearly doesn’t know how to run. He likely attended an Ivy League school and has never touched a humble beginning, which allows him to assume the position of a brat perfectly. Dylan was a natural in this role. Initially, he crawled under my skin, but as the plot of Send Help unfolded, I began to feel more pity than dislike for him.

Bradley embarks on a life-changing journey but never gets the opportunity to learn from it. Instead, he suffers throughout the entire plot. You will love his character arc, and just like I did, you will certainly pity him.

Dylan O'Brien and Rachel McAdams in Send Help Movie

What I Liked

It would be cliché to say I loved everything about Send Help, so let me detail exactly what stood out while fighting the urge to spoil the movie.

Firstly, hats off to the storyline. Whoever had the genius idea to let the plot revolve around Dylan and Rachel scores a perfect ten. Despite the enmity between their characters, the chemistry they share isn’t something a script could forge. They felt organic, as if they belonged together, and I desperately hoped for some sort of romance.

Furthermore, the gory graphics stood out. If you thought Final Destination was intense, the graphic scenes in Send Help will have you on the edge of your seat. I loved how the movie took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I found myself leaning more toward disgust than fear. If I got paid every time I made a disgusted face, I would certainly have enough to fund my dream staycation.

You know a movie is good if it leaves you wishing it was longer. An hour and forty-six minutes wasn’t enough. I needed more, and I am certain you will too when you see Send Help this weekend.

What I Didn’t Like

A good movie leaves me with no disapproval, except for one thing: the marketing. The promotion wasn’t aggressive enough; they didn’t shove it down our throats like The Conjuring: Last Rites. Send Help is a gem you might only discover from a traumatized friend or a contributor on Verayea (that’s me) who enjoys reviewing the weird stuff. I have a track record to prove it.

Verdict

Send Help is a movie you need to brace yourself for. I walked into the cinema alone and found myself clutching the arm of a stranger because I did not expect so much blood. If psychological thrillers, gore, and plot twists you never saw coming are your cup of tea, then by all means, be sure to see Send Help before it leaves the cinema.

My Rating

Send Help earns a resilient 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Our Rating of This Movie

Will you be seeing Send Help? If yes, try not to vomit, okay?

Author

Amarachi Ndukwe

Amarachi Ndukwe is a talented movie reviewer who knows how to make films easy to understand and fun to discuss. She shares her thoughts in a clear and engaging way, helping her readers see what makes each movie special. With a great eye for detail, she explains stories, themes, and characters in a way that anyone can enjoy.