Director Sam Raimi is returning to hard-edged horror with his new film Send Help, and it’s already sending a message to Hollywood. For the first time in 25 years, Raimi has an R-rated release. The Motion Picture Association gave the film the rating for “strong/bloody violence and language,” pulling the director out of the PG-13 zone of titles like Drag Me To Hell and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Send Help stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien in a story about two coworkers stranded on a deserted island after a crash. What begins as a fight for survival becomes a test of loyalty and power. The film opens nationwide January 30 through 20th Century Studios, with early screenings beginning January 24.
Send Help | Official Trailer | In Theaters Jan 30
Raimi hasn’t released an R-rated project since 2000’s The Gift, the supernatural thriller with Cate Blanchett and Hilary Swank. Since then, he’s worked on large-scale franchise films like Spider-Man and Oz the Great and Powerful, projects that widened his audience but softened his horror roots. The shift back to a darker tone has some fans calling this a return to form.
Send Help features a supporting cast including Xavier Samuel, Dennis Haysbert, Chris Pang, Emma Raimi, and Edyll Ismail. The screenplay comes from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the duo behind Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th. Their track record in the genre suggests a mix of intensity and black humor, something Raimi built his name on decades ago with The Evil Dead.
According to Bloody Disgusting, Raimi recently admitted to reviving some of the on-set chaos that defined his early career. “I threw vomit in Dylan’s face. Blood in Rachel’s face. Water in her face. Okay, I might have poked her with a stick once,” he said. The director’s methods, often hands-on to a fault, earned him a reputation as one of horror’s most intense filmmakers. During Drag Me To Hell in 2009, he famously used live insects in several scenes.
O’Brien laughed about the process, saying, “Puke in the face, yeah. It was mangoes that looked like berries.” McAdams added that Raimi insists on doing the messy work himself. “He will not allow anyone else to be the gunk-thrower,” she said. “I thought he was kidding when he threw a bucket of water in my face. Nope. He practices.” Both actors described the experience as demanding but creative—hallmarks of Raimi’s filmmaking style.
This might signal a shift in studio horror, which has oddly leaned PG-13 for years. Raimi’s return to unrestricted violence may test whether mainstream audiences are ready for something grittier. If Send Help performs well at the box office, that answer could come quickly. The movie opens in wide release January 30, with limited preview screenings beginning January 24.
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English (US) · 