The Gonzo Wolf

Back in 2019 – pre-pandemic, and when some folks still considered me to be “interesting” – I signed babies and kissed books in the same room with the director of this film, Sam Raimi. He and Bruce Campbell were rumored to be a couple of thankless twats on the horror convention circuit who treated their fans like dirt. From what I noticed, it was a fairly accurate description.

I, myself, was a thankless twat a dozen or so times during my own writing career, and we can smell our own. I think it’s in our contracts that thankless twats must support other thankless twat’s work.

Let’s see what the fine folks at Wikipedia have to say about this film (please donate to them if possible).

Send Help is a 2026 American survival horror thriller film^[5] co-produced and directed by Sam Raimi and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. The film stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as an employee and her boss, respectively, who become stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash and attempt to survive while tension rises between them. Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, and Dennis Haysbert also star.

Send Help premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California on January 21, 2026, and was released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on January 30. The film received critical acclaim and grossed $74 million against a $40 million production budget.

The Rev-iew:

I knew O’Brien from the short-lived Teen Wolf television show, and I often found him enjoyable. Other than that, I’ve seen him in a couple of throw-away roles. Almost like a ‘discount’ Shia LaBeouf from the “Transformers” years. I figured he could play a decent pecker-head boss in a Raimi movie. It’s February; what did I expect from films released during the first quarter of the year? This cast.

Then, I knew the McAdams name from Mean Girls, which is why I always avoided her. I never could stand those ‘who’s more popular in the lunchroom’ movies. It’s bad enough that trope exists; must we glorify it in film?

My brain just always associated her with rude chicks from high school. Great actress, though. She hit the nail on the head during several roles in her career as far as I’m concerned. Some people can just be a natural ‘bitch’ at the drop of a hat. It appears as though she’s mastered this talent. Did I mention I hated school?

So…

Mean Girl, Knockoff Xander from Buffy, and the jack-ass from the horror con did a film together. Neat. As far as I was concerned, it was tainted from the start.

In actuality, I was invested less than ten minutes in. Mean Girl McAdams is still gorgeous, even while covered in blood, and with a rather visible fake facial mole. She sells the nerdy survival girl role like she owns stock in The North Face.

O’Brien is the dick who inherited his daddy’s company, and he oozes Epstein List -esque slime from curtains to credits. That’s it, folks. It’s mostly these two characters for ninety percent of the film. It’s a damn good thing they’re perfectly cast.

There were times when I wasn’t sure who to cheer for, and, as the layers to these characters began to flake away, I came no closer to whom I’d snuggle with in a survival situation. What I do know for a fact, is that I’ve known several nerdy, Laura Croft wannabees, and they all seemed to take a page from the Annie Wilkes school of closed-door violence playbook.

Seriously. I’m not sure how O’Brien’s character pulled it off. Psychotic or not, if it were me on the island with McAdams’ character, the rescue boat would’ve pulled up to me and Mrs. LL Bean with three kids, a divorce in the works, and a pot field on the west side of the island.

Shocked, but I enjoyed this film – jerk director aside – and actually exclaimed moments of cringe out loud a time or two. It kept me guessing in regard to the characters’ motives until the final act, and didn’t spare the physical unpleasantries that accompany survival situations.

Also, there’s a lesson to be learned in the final line of the film (paraphrased); one that I’ve heard often as of late…

“No one is coming to save us.”

McAdams stares deep into the camera as she delivers this line, almost as though she’s speaking to the survivalist in all of us. She can sleep in my tent.

Not a perfect 5 star 2026 film, but one I will purchase to watch again at my leisure. If Blue Lagoon, Cast Away, and Drag Me To Hell had a love child…

4/5 Yellow Berries.