Summary
- Sam Raimi, horror mastermind behind
Evil Dead
, returns with
Send Help
, a genre-blending horror-thriller inspired by
Misery
and
Cast Away
. - Fans can expect Raimi’s signature blend of horror and comedy in this theatrical release, set on an island with script by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift.
- As director and producer, Raimi’s influence on the horror genre is long-standing and highly anticipated for his upcoming film,
Send Help
.
Putting aside the horror elements of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell mastermind Sam Raimi hasn’t helmed a horror film since that latter movie’s release in 2009. But, according to Deadline, that looks to change with his next film, Send Help, which is being described by its distributor, 20th Century Studios, as a horror-thriller. Raimi will reportedly take inspiration from two cinematic classics when crafting Send Help: the horror movie Misery and the survival drama Cast Away. Which, when combined, should result in something very special (and terrifying) indeed.
Raimi is well-versed in horror, making his feature-length debut with 1981’s classic The Evil Dead before following that brilliant nightmare with the lesser-seen Crimewave. Then, after crafting one of the best sequels of all time with Evil Dead II (which showed he could balance multiple genres in the same film), he helmed Darkman, which brings horror elements into the realm of superheroes, before returning to the Deadites with Army of Darkness. That trilogy-capper again showed his deft ability to blend genres, merging horror and comedy into a period piece action film.
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After changing things up for a bit with the Western outing The Quick and the Dead and the beloved Spider-Man trilogy, Raimi returned to the world of horror in 2009 with Drag Me to Hell. And, while it didn’t make a killing at the box office, it has since garnered a passionate following, with a sequel reportedly on the way, and is now deemed one of the best scary movies of its respective decade. And for good reason.
What is Known About Sam Raimi’s Send Help?
So, what else do we know about Send Help? For one, while its home will almost certainly be 20th Century Studios, the production house has yet to officially greenlight the project. But, some details have come out, including its aforementioned genre-blending, which should come as no surprise to Raimi fans. And, going back to Cast Away, it has been revealed that then movie will be set on an island.
It’s also intended for a theatrical release, making it yet another horror film that hopes to do well on the big screen before moving onto streaming, a la A Quiet Place: Day One. The script is an original from the writing team of Damian Shannon and Mark Swift of Freddy vs. Jason and Friday the 13th (2009) fame, with Raimi also serving as producer.
Speaking of producing, this marks yet another instance where Raimi served as both director and producer on one of his films. And, even when he wasn’t directing a horror film (or a film at all, given his decade-long break between Oz the Great and Powerful and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), he’s been an active producer, especially in the horror genre. Examples include The Dead Next Door, The Grudge franchise, Boogeyman, The Messengers, 30 Days of Night, The Possession, 2015’s Poltergeist, both Don’t Breathe films, Crawl, Evil Dead (2013), Evil Dead Rise, and that IP’s TV show and video game. Having influenced the horror genre for so long, it’s hugely exciting to know that we will soon be sitting down for another Sam Raimi frightfest.
