Lost Her Mind on an Island with Her Boss: Sam Raimi's New Horror Shocked Even 'Cast Away' Fans. Trailer Review

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Picture Tom Hanks from Cast Away, gone completely mad on that deserted island, taking down a massive wild boar with his bare hands while laughing maniacally?

Here's the trailer for "Send Help," the new film from Sam Raimi, director of the cult classic "The Evil Dead," hitting theaters January 30, 2026.

The clip's already racked up over 2,000 comments on YouTube. Viewers are saying the leads (Dylan O'Brien and Rachel McAdams) deserve an Oscar for best on-screen duo of the year thanks to their "chemistry."

The film itself is being called "wild" and "expectation-defying" – because beneath the rom-com disguise, Raimi throws audiences into an insane survival story. Forget romance – this is about a meek office worker who transforms into a full-blown psychopath and master killer.

Intrigued? Let's dive deeper.
A girl with a spear in her hands and a man with a grimace of pain on his face
Dylan O'Brien and Rachel McAdams in the "Send Help" trailer
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What It's About

The trailer doesn't give away major plot points. As one viewer perfectly put it in the comments: "I give this trailer credit for only showing fragments that build interest in the film. That's exactly how a trailer should be made."

But we can piece together enough (and honestly, it's plenty).

We're looking at the story of office worker Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams), who doesn't exactly vibe with her boss (Dylan O'Brien). He treats her dismissively, even telling her at one point that she "smells bad."

He challenges her to prove her worth because he "doesn't see any value" in her. Together they head out on a work trip where Linda's supposed to participate in a business deal. But their plane crashes on a deserted island.

Based on the trailer, only Liddle and her boss survive, and he's got a busted leg that leaves him immobile. These are the conditions they've got to survive in.

But while Linda's boss can't walk, the woman shows from the first frames on land that she's no longer the timid employee – she's a fierce hunter who can quickly find food and fashion a palm leaf bandage for her boss's leg.

Probably the trailer's best moment (totally in early Raimi style) is when Liddle emerges from the forest with a smile on her face, carrying the severed head of a giant boar she took down solo.

The trailer's main message: people act differently in different situations. At work, Linda's just another pushover, but on a deserted island? She's the terror of all boars. Now she's in charge, and her boss is the subordinate.

What Viewers Are Saying

Nearly all 2,000 comments are positive. That's a rare find, especially among this year's releases. People are praising the trailer for its cast: they're particularly excited about Rachel McAdams' return, who hasn't appeared in anything since 2023's "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
Whoever decided to put these two actors together deserves an Oscar just for thinking of this collaboration.
YouTube user @29stealth about the Send Help trailer
Some are comparing the horror's atmosphere to cult classics "Misery" and "Cast Away." From the first, it borrows the psychopathic lead character; from the second, the overall setting and location.

Other viewers are praising Sam Raimi for not taking on yet another "prequel, sequel, franchise installment" as his next project, but instead making a completely original film that isn't a reboot or rehash.

Best Horror Film of 2025?

Sure, you can't form a complete opinion about the whole film from just a trailer. But even now, it's clear this looks way more original, wilder, and scarier than the year's major releases so far.

What have we gotten before this: "Weapons," "The Conjuring: Last Rites"? In earlier reviews of these "creations," I pointed out they play more like comedies. The first deserves criticism for its cartoonish villain who gets chased by kids in the finale like something out of "The Benny Hill Show." The second - for losing focus: the horror became a family drama.
A girl in wet clothes with wet hair stands on the shore of an island
Frame from the Send Help trailer
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"Send Help" really stands out from them with its subject matter, because literally anyone (God forbid) could potentially end up in the main characters' shoes. Just in early 2025 alone, over 300 people found themselves in that situation, according to Metro.

Plus, the film offers an unconventional take on boss-employee dynamics, where the work hierarchy flips overnight. And there aren't that many films about "strong women" in cinema. McAdams performs so convincingly that you believe this transformation without question.

We're waiting for late January and hoping the full horror doesn't disappoint. While we wait, let's revisit the best films about surviving on a deserted island.

I'd recommend that same "Cast Away" (2000) with Hanks and add "Swiss Army Man" (2016) and "Lord of the Flies" (1990) to the list. Earlier on zoomboola.com, we covered "Good Boy" - the best horror of 2025 right now. The film with a dog in the lead role has outscored "The Conjuring: Last Rites" in ratings.