Review: 'Send Help' is a wild, uncomfortable ride

"Send Help" is a lot of things. It's a thriller. It's a horror movie. It's a survival story. It's a dark comedy. It's social commentary. It's a women's empowerment story. It's a deeply uncomfortable, quasi-bananas, maybe-sort-of love story.

It's also one of those movies where, when the credits rolled, I sat there trying to decide how I felt — and honestly landed somewhere around, "Eh, kinda?"

There were stretches where I was fully locked in, intrigued by the power dynamics, invested in the tension, leaning forward in my seat. Then there were stretches where I was checking the runtime in my head, wondering where this was going, or if it was going anywhere at all. Then suddenly I was grossed out, unsettled and mentally ready to call it a night, only for the movie to swing back into an eerie calm like nothing happened.

That push-and-pull is very much the point.

And it's also why "Send Help" is a movie I can appreciate on an intellectual level, even if it wasn't really my cup of tea.

This is Sam Raimi being Sam Raimi (for better or worse)

If you've seen a Sam Raimi horror movie before, "Send Help" will feel instantly familiar.

Raimi has a very specific rhythm: He lulls you into a strange sense of comfort. He lets scenes breathe longer than you expect. He builds tension through awkwardness and silence. Then, wham, he smacks you upside the head with shocking violence and gore.

And the gore? It's fake, cartoonish and borderline absurd, and yet it still makes your stomach churn.

That's Raimi's trick. Even when you can intellectually see the artifice, your body still reacts. You flinch and squirm, and it's meant to be uncomfortable. For fans of his style, this will feel very "on brand." For someone like me, who has always found Raimi hit-or-miss, it meant I was never fully settled. Every time I started to relax, I braced myself for what might be coming next.

Rachel McAdams goes all in

Rachel McAdams commits to this movie in a way that deserves credit.

She's asked to do a lot here: physically, emotionally and psychologically, and it never once feels like she's holding back. Her character is introduced in a way that's intentionally unflattering: poor hygiene, awkward behavior, an exhausting corporate grind and a vulnerability that makes it painfully clear how easily she's been taken advantage of.

And somehow, McAdams manages to make us root for her.

There's a fascinating transformation that happens over the course of the film. It's almost a twisted version of a makeover arc. Instead of turning into a prom queen in a red dress, however, she turns into a blood-soaked warrior who has finally found her agency.

Is it realistic? Not at all. Did I buy it anyway? Yes. Because McAdams sold it.

She plays the character with just enough sincerity that even when the movie goes off the rails, you're still emotionally tethered to her journey.

Dylan O'Brien is a walking emotional whiplash machine

Then there's Dylan O'Brien and his character has a lot more going on than you think.

Over the course of the movie, my feelings toward him went through multiple full cycles: Unlikable to loathsome to tolerable to empathetic to terrifying to helpless and then repeat.

That's not a knock on O'Brien's performance; it's actually a testament to it. He plays the character with a shifting instability that keeps you off balance, which is clearly the intention.

The chemistry between O'Brien and McAdams is deeply uncomfortable, and again, that's by design. Their relationship is built on power imbalances, manipulation, desperation and survival — not romance or mutual respect.

It works for the story. It just doesn't make for a particularly pleasant viewing experience.

A movie that keeps you watching, even when you're not sure why

Here's the thing about "Send Help": It kept my attention.

Even when I wasn't enjoying myself, I was engaged. I wanted to see how far it would go. I wanted to know how it would end. I wanted to see what line it would cross next or whether it would pull back at the last second.

That's not nothing, but attention doesn't always equal enjoyment.

For me, the constant tonal shifts, the increasingly unpleasant character arcs and the escalating brutality left me in a mood I wasn't thrilled to sit with once the credits rolled.

This is not a feel-good movie or something you watch and then happily go grab ice cream afterward.

It's meant to unsettle you and it succeeds.

What parents (and viewers) should know

"Send Help" is rated R, and it earns that rating without hesitation.

The violence and gore are graphic, albeit cartoonish, but nonetheless brutal. There is a lot of blood, strong language, disturbing situations and power dynamics, not to mention a deeply uncomfortable tone throughout.

This is a movie for mature audiences who know exactly what they're signing up for. If you're sensitive to violence or don't enjoy feeling unsettled for two hours, this one is not for you.

Conclusion

So, did I like "Send Help"? Kind of.

I respected the performances, appreciated the ambition and I understood what it was trying to do.

But it wasn't for me.

The violence, the tonal whiplash and the emotionally exhausting character journeys left me more drained than satisfied. I don't regret watching it, but I also have zero desire to revisit it.

That said, I can easily see a large group of moviegoers absolutely loving this, especially fans of Sam Raimi's particular brand of horror and chaos. It's bold, strange, uncomfortable, and unapologetic.

For me, it was an interesting experience, just not an enjoyable one.

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