It was another of the Cineworld Secret Screenings recently, and the film shown was Sam Raimi’s Send Help, starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien.
Now I have to say I wasn’t too sure what the film was really about. I’d seen plenty of trailers for the film, and all I knew was that it was a couple of people who were stranded on a desert island after a tragic plane crash while they were on route to a business meeting.
Send Help starts rather slowly as we are introduced to the characters that we will later see get into several predicaments on the island as they try to survive after the crash.
The film has plenty of moments that stand out in Sam Raimi‘s style of filmmaking, with moments such as close-ups to give you a sense of unease and those moments of the camera racing through the jungle, much like we had in The Evil Dead when we see the camera racing towards Bruce Campbell’s character in the classic horror film.
The main cast of McAdams and O’Brien really work well together, and you feel the tension between them right from the very start when we meet them together. Whilst on the island, the roles are reversed. The movie takes a rather dark turn as the female lead becomes more of the dominant character than the male lead.
Don’t expect Send Help to be a full-out horror movie, as it isn’t. This film is more of a thriller/horror, but that’s not to say that there aren’t some shocking moments during the film. Look out for a scene with a boar, which is probably one of the goriest parts of the film, but damn it works so well and just has you on the edge of your seat.
The film has some nice little twists along the way and a moment towards the end, which I wasn’t expecting, but worked so well and added to the shock value.
Something else I have to mention is the superb soundtrack by Danny Elfman, which adds to the tension and several other moments in the film that just make the film stand out even more.
Send Help is well worth seeing on the big screen, and I highly recommend you check it out, especially if you’re a fan of Sam Raimi and enjoy the musical delights from Danny Elfman‘s work.