Directed by Sam Raimi.
Send Help premiered in theaters on January 30, 2026.
Distributed by 20th Century Studios (a division of Disney).
Send Help (2026) Review
Send Help is a survival thriller with dark comedy directed by Sam Raimi.
The movie follows Linda, a smart but ignored worker, and her rude boss after they survive a plane crash and end up stranded on an island.
As they struggle to stay alive, power slowly shifts between them in shocking ways.
Rachel McAdams delivers a strong and confident performance, while Dylan O’Brien adds tension and humor.
The film mixes suspense, horror, and satire, keeping the story engaging.
Send Help feels fresh and entertaining, offering both thrills and sharp commentary, making it a solid and memorable movie for survival-film fans.
CR Rating: 8.5/10.
Send Help Actors
Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle
DOB: November 17, 1978.
Bio: Canadian actor whose career spans sharp comedy, romance, prestige drama, and genre filmmaking.
She broke out in the mid-2000s with Mean Girls and The Notebook, then steadily built a reputation for emotionally grounded performances in films such as Spotlight and About Time.
Role: Linda Liddle works in corporate planning and strategy and survives a plane crash that leaves her stranded on a remote island alongside her company’s newly appointed CEO.
Initially underestimated, Linda gradually reveals herself to be resourceful, observant, and unexpectedly prepared for survival.
Interesting facts: Send Help reunites McAdams with director Sam Raimi following Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Notable works: The Notebook, Mean Girls, Spotlight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Broadway’s Mary Jane.
Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston
DOB: August 26, 1991.
Bio: American actor who first gained widespread recognition on television before becoming a global star through the Maze Runner film franchise.
Known early on for energetic, comedic charm, he has since broadened his career with more dramatic and psychologically complex roles in both studio and independent projects.
Role: Bradley Preston is the company’s newly promoted CEO, confident, entitled, and accustomed to control, whose authority quickly collapses after a plane crash leaves him stranded with Linda Liddle.
Stripped of status and resources, Bradley becomes increasingly unstable as survival replaces corporate power plays.
Interesting facts: Send Help places O’Brien in a two-hander structure that demands sustained psychological escalation and physical endurance.
Notable works: The Maze Runner trilogy, Teen Wolf, American Assassin, Love and Monsters, The Outfit.
Edyll Ismail as Zuri
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Australian actor and graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), one of the country’s most respected acting conservatories.
He has built experience across stage, screen, and commercial work, developing a reputation for grounded, emotionally direct performances.
Role: Zuri is Bradley Preston’s fiancée, existing largely in the emotional and narrative orbit of the film’s central conflict.
While not present on the island itself, Zuri represents Bradley’s former life of status, ambition, and external validation.
Interesting facts: Ismail’s WAAPA training places him among a lineage of Australian actors who have successfully crossed into major international projects.
Notable works: Early stage and screen roles; Send Help (2026).
Xavier Samuel as Donovan Murphy
DOB: December 10, 1983.
Bio: Australian actor who first gained attention through independent Australian films before breaking internationally with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
Since then, he has built a varied career across Australian and international cinema, often appearing in polished, morally ambiguous, or socially advantaged roles.
Role: Donovan is the coworker whom Bradley promotes over Linda, his promotion is part of the workplace grievance that sets the film’s central conflict in motion.
Donovan is both the plot’s professional foil and a touchpoint for the office resentment that informs Linda’s motivation.
Interesting facts: Samuel’s casting brings a familiar charisma to the role of the “favoured coworker,” and that dynamic is central to the film’s satire of corporate culture.
Notable works: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Adore, Love & Friendship, Blonde.
Chris Pang as Chase
DOB: December 29, 1984.
Bio: Australian actor and producer who gained international recognition with Crazy Rich Asians and has since appeared in a mix of studio films, action projects, and Australian productions.
He is known for combining easy charm with physical confidence, often playing socially polished characters within high-status or competitive environments.
Role: Chase is part of Bradley’s inner circle, a colleague who embodies the fratty, polished culture of the office and whose choices in crisis help escalate tensions on the island.
He functions narratively as another angle on entitlement and the group dynamic.
Interesting facts: Pang often plays the likable, modern leading man or friend-type and has also done action and stunt work in his career.
Notable works: Crazy Rich Asians, Tomorrow, When the War Began, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.
Dennis Haysbert as Franklin
DOB: June 2, 1954.
Bio: A veteran American actor with a long, respected career across film, television, and voice work.
He is widely known for authoritative, steady characters, including President David Palmer on 24 and Pedro Cerrano in the Major League films.
Role: Franklin is a senior executive within Bradley Preston’s company.
Appearing in the film’s pre-crash corporate setting, he helps establish the power structures, professional hierarchies, and cultural tone of the workplace that directly inform the tensions between Bradley and Linda.
Interesting facts: Haysbert’s resonant voice and calm authority are frequently used for narrational or proud statesman roles.
Notable works: 24, Major League trilogy, Far from Heaven, extensive voice work and television drama.
Thaneth Warakulnukroh as Boat Captain
DOB: September 9, 1958.
Bio: Thai singer, actor, and producer with a decades-long career in Thailand’s entertainment industry.
He first rose to prominence in music before expanding into film and television, where he became a familiar character presence.
Role: He appears as the Boat Captain, a local figure encountered during the film’s Southeast Asian-set sequences.
The character provides a grounded, practical presence that helps establish the film’s geography and transition points surrounding the island journey, adding texture and realism to the story’s international scope.
Interesting facts: Warakulnukroh is better known in Thailand as a pop/rock figure and music producer.
Notable works: Thai cinema and music production credits.
Emma Raimi as River
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Emma Raimi is an actress who has appeared in independent films and smaller screen roles.
She is the daughter of filmmaker Sam Raimi and has occasionally been involved in projects connected to the independent film circuit.
Role: River is one of Linda’s coworkers, appearing in the film’s early office-set sequences.
The character helps establish the workplace culture and professional tensions that shape Linda’s emotional state before the plane crash.
Interesting facts: Emma’s on-set presence continues a Raimi family tradition of including relatives in small roles.
Notable works: Happy Pills (2014), short films and independent projects.
Kristy Best as Polly Perera
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Kristy Best is a working actor with credits across film and television, frequently appearing in supporting and guest roles.
Her performances often lean toward grounded, contemporary characters that fit naturally into realistic or satirical story worlds.
Role: Polly Perera is a reporter who interviews Linda following the events of the island survival ordeal.
Through Polly, the film briefly shifts perspective away from the island to examine how trauma, heroism, and corporate narratives are reshaped by the media once the story reaches the public eye.
Interesting facts: Press mentions show this character giving an outside-the-island perspective and injecting satire of how disasters are packaged for public consumption.
Notable works: Supporting roles across film and television
Francesca Waters as Barbara
DOB: N/A.
Bio: Francesca Waters is a character actor with experience across theatre and screen.
She is known for playing naturalistic supporting roles that add texture to workplace, community, and ensemble-driven stories.
Role: Barbara is a supporting character connected to Linda’s professional world.
Her scenes help establish the everyday corporate environment before the crash, giving emotional contrast to the extreme survival conditions that follow and grounding the film’s early realism.
Interesting facts: Waters’ casting follows the film’s pattern of layering real-world corporate and local personalities to enrich the satire.
Notable works: Stage performances and supporting roles in film and television.
More Actors
• Anuwat Pornladawong as Caretaker #1.
• Brad Flett as Trainer.
• Nana Miya as Flight Attendant.
FAQ – Send Help (2026) Movie
What is Send Help about?
Send Help is a dark survival horror‑comedy directed by Sam Raimi about an overlooked employee and her arrogant boss who become stranded on a remote island after a plane crash and must survive while tensions rise between them.
Is Send Help scary?
While marketed with horror elements, many viewers describe it as a dark, tense survival thriller with humor and psychological tension, not traditional jump‑scare horror.
Where can I watch Send Help?
Send Help is currently available in theaters. It is expected to become available on digital platforms and Hulu/Disney+ (via Hulu) a few months after its theatrical run.
Conclusion
Send Help (2026) stands out as a smart and entertaining survival film with a dark comedic edge.
Strong performances from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien drive the story, while Sam Raimi’s direction adds tension and style.
The movie balances suspense, humor, and social commentary, making it more than a typical survival thriller.
Though intense at times, it remains engaging and unpredictable throughout.
Overall, Send Help is a fun, thrilling watch that offers sharp performances, clever storytelling, and a fresh take on the survival genre.