“Send Help” is being billed as Sam Raimi’s return to the horror genre—his first since 2009’s “Drag Me to Hell.” The film is described as a hybrid of comedy, adventure, and horror, centering on Linda, a capable employee who ends up stranded on a remote island after a plane crash with her insufferable boss, Bradley. With survival at stake, Linda becomes Bradley’s only hope of making it out alive.
It’s been confirmed that Danny Elfman is set to score Raimi’s upcoming film, marking a return to their collaborative roots. This partnership, which began with the 1990 cult classic “Darkman,” has since evolved through projects like “A Simple Plan” and “Spider-Man.”
Raimi and Elfman had a falling out during the making of “Spider-Man 2.” Elfman described the experience as “a miserable” one, stating that his relationship with Raimi had deteriorated to the point where he felt the director had become a completely different person. He walked away from the project, noting that he would never work with Raimi again.
Elfman is best known for his distinctive musical style. His major breakthrough came via his collaboration with director Tim Burton. Elfman composed iconic scores for many of Burton’s films, including “Batman,” “Edward Scissorhands,” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“Send Help” is being described as “Misery” meets “Cast Away,” the film was penned by “A Quiet Place” duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who rewrote an earlier draft by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (“Freddy vs. Jason,” “Baywatch”).
I was the first to report on “Send Help,” a project I’ve been tracking since 2023. Raimi, a towering figure in genre filmmaking, has only directed two films in the past 12 years—“Oz the Great and Powerful” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”—neither of which fully captured the essence of his signature style or resonated deeply with longtime fans.
With a horror-comedy sensibility that’s been widely imitated, Raimi’s influence is undeniable. His best work includes “Evil Dead II,” “Army of Darkness,” “Darkman,” “Drag Me to Hell,” “A Simple Plan,” and “Spider-Man 2.” In Raimi we trust—unless he’s making MCU movies.
“Send Help” stars Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, and Denis Haysbert, and is slated for release on January 30, 2026, via 20th Century Studios.