Sam Raimi’s “Send Help” left me disappointed and calling for help at times because of its underdeveloped psychological thriller nature.

Released on Jan. 30 and starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, the film combined a disturbing tale of survival with comedy horror, at times taking it to a level that was only laughable. 

The movie opens on Linda Liddle, played by McAdams, who works for nepo baby Bradley Preston, played by Obrien.   

O’Brien’s acting was mediocre at best, with his portrayal of a douche bag being easily believed, but his overall performance didn’t make me feel anything notable

McAdam’s character is portrayed as awkward, nerdy and undesirable, a role I wasn’t used to seeing her in. Being more familiar with her roles in The Notebook and Mean Girls, she was almost unrecognizable. 

Promised a VP position by Bradley’s late father, Linda finds herself at the mercy of a locker-room-style office and a boss who gives the position to a less qualified, equally chauvinistic college friend. 

After being taunted and tormented by her obviously better looking boss and his friends, Linda is asked to attend an international business trip for work with her boss, while the guys continue to golf. 

During the trip, the plane hits rough air and slapstick horror ensues.

While plummeting towards the ocean, the plane is split in half in which one of two douchey colleagues attempts to steal Linda’s seatbelt to save themselves. 

Sticking with camp horror tropes, Linda’s survival skills kick in and she stabs him in the hand in a comedically gory scene where the aforementioned douche is dragged along through the window by his necktie. 

Upon washing up on a remote tropical island, Linda discovers that she and Bradley were the only two survivors and begins to nurse him back to health, build shelter and find food with her honed survival skills. 

After a bit of a power struggle, an injured and otherwise helpless Bradley is forced to submit to Linda. 

Linda’s mental unraveling is first demonstrated when she hunts a wild boar, in a scene that can only be described as a horrifying test to how much blood a viewer can tolerate before the pure shock turns to traumatized laughter. 

Rather than relating to the disturbed audience, Linda revels in her carnal kill, showing just how well she’s adjusting to life on a deserted island. 

Despite being corny, I enjoyed Raimi’s use of satirical horror to add a comedic feel to the film. He did so not in a way that took away from the dark elements of the movie, but added a shock factor that I enjoyed. 

His use of disorienting POV’s seen in his other films makes a brief appearance during Linda’s fight with the boar, with a shot through the boar’s eyes tearing through the brush. 

Bradly begins to notice Linda’s peculiarities throughout the remainder of the film.

Scenes show Linda’s advantage against Bradley’s as she purposefully sabotages rescue attempts, the two poison each other and evidently fight to be the “asshole boss.”

From enemies, to unlikely allies, to enemies yet again, Linda perceives this stranded hell as a tropical paradise, compared to a literal nightmare for Bradley. 

The movie ends with Bradley promising to remain on the island with Linda professing a fake love for her, then trying to attack her while her guard is down, right before being beaten to a bloody pulp. 

Besides longing glances from Linda and a cuddle to conserve body heat, the two didn’t develop a proper relationship to believe that Linda was in love with Bradley. 

Sure, Linda’s crazy, but it felt like the film was underdeveloped in this sense. 

It’s a bit of a leap for Linda to fall in love with her “asshole boss” after patching up their relationship in order to survive. 

I thought the very ending of the film, with Linda’s final portrayal as a famed wealthy golfer mourning her lost colleagues, was an excellent summarization of Linda’s ability to switch from murderous insanity to picture perfect actress. 

The idea for this psychological thriller was great, the execution, however, was not. Both McAdam’s and O’Brien’s characters could have been better developed, especially their relationship with each other.