Words Scott J. Davis

Whether you grew up in the 1980s or not, you’ll no doubt know the seismic impact Sam Raimi had on horror and cinema as a whole with his electric, unique, and hugely influential filmmaking style. The Evil Dead and its sequel remain glittering jewels in cinema’s crown.

After his stint in the MCU, Raimi returns with Send Help, a wild story he fell in love with immediately and has already been hailed as “outrageous.” Groovy!

Rachel McAdams, who stole the show in Game Night, delivers wicked laughs again as Linda Liddle, a loyal, but underappreciated employee who’s relentlessly bullied and vilified by her power-hungry boss, Dylan O’Brien’s Bradley Preston. But what if their office dynamic took a drastic turn? Well, when a plane crash leaves them stranded together on a desert island, Linda seizes the perfect chance to get one – or more –  over on her horrible boss and show  him just what kind of employee she really is.

Part Cast Away, part What Lies Beneath, part Drag Me To Hell, but all Raimi, it promises to be one of the filmmaker’s very best and is easily an early highlight of the year.

Raimi Recap

Drag Me To Hell

Raimi’s last pure horror tells the story of a woman cursed after denying a bank loan. Gory, disgusting, and capped with one of modern cinema’s best twist endings, it’s a gnarly treat.

The Evil Dead

If you’ve never experienced even the first film, let alone the full, magnificent trilogy, you’re missing genre-defining, cinema-shaping moments. These films put Raimi on the map, forevermore.

Spider-Man

Just as he revolutionised horror, Raimi redefined the comic-book movie by putting heart, soul, humour, and grace – not to mention incredible action – into everyone’s favourite friendly neighbourhood webslinger.

Doctor Strange

Fifteen years after Spidey, he returned to superhero cinema with something altogether more out there: a Multiverse Of Madness. Despite the Marvel machinery, it’s still distinctly Raimi.