SEND HELP
****
Directed by Sam Raimi.
Starring Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail.
Horror-comedy, US, 113 MInutes, Certificate 15.
Released in Cinemas in the UK on 6th February by 20th Century Studios
It has been seventeen years since we witnessed Sam Raimi fully indulge his horror showman tendencies with DRAG ME TO HELL. Seventeen years without him going full on Spook-a-blast, a term that he seems to have coined that perfectly encapsulates his madcap, kinetic style that combines violence and humour to such energising effect. In those years he delivered a Wizard Of Oz prequel and a Doctor Strange sequel, two projects that in an ideal world would see him marry his style and sensibilities to established fantastical figures of pop culture. Instead we were treated to a stifling of his style mandated by studio interference, resulting in worrying thoughts that Raimi was resting on his laurels, his energy spent. The days of deadites and watching Bruce Campbell getting punished in all manner of inventive ways receding in the rear view of his beloved Oldsmobile Delta 88.
What a relief then, that Raimi has come back with SEND HELP, a wildly entertaining and gory spin on the island castaway story. Working on a script from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, screenwriters of FREDDY VS JASON and the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake, Raimi finds much opportunity to put his leading woman and man double act of Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien through Hell in his own inimitable style. As Linda Liddle, McAdams is introduced in all her dowdy glory to the strains of Blondie’s Rip Her to Shreds, bouncing into her high rise office, only to be brought back down to Earth by her male co-workers using her hard work to rise above her on the corporate ladder. It is a situation that is brought even more into focus with the arrival of Dylan O-Brien’s Bradley, an arrogant bro-dude who has inherited his position in infuriating nepo-style. The two are brought together very much against their wishes when a work trip to Thailand is brought to ground in spectacular fashion due to a plane crash, providing one perfect example of Raimi’s fondness for cartoonish slapstick. Finding themselves stuck on a deserted island with their roles reversed, Linda’s previously ridiculed passion for game show Survivor provides an edge over her now crippled boss, who soon finds himself threatened and emasculated by his employees' newfound sense of dominance and purpose.
It is a battle of the sexes that brings a number of issues into focus through Raimi's skewed eye. Shannon and Swift’s script also manages to inject a fair amount of character backstory expertly delivered by the double act of McAdams and O’Brien. One scene in particular, where McAdams delivers a quietly powerful monologue detailing a tragic past, seems to suggest however that the script was perhaps a more serious minded piece before Raimi got his hands on it resulting in a sense of tonal whiplash. However, this tension between script and direction, helps the film stand out against other such serious minded thrillers that are ten a penny and fade from memory. The fact that we have another Sam Raimi film that fully indulges his passion for crash zooms, cartoonish violence and a volume of blood and viscera that has not been witnessed since EVIL DEAD 2, is one to be celebrated. Longtime fans should be more than satisfied with this return to form that is far more than an old master just playing the usual hits.
The pitch black and wickedly cruel tone that runs right up until its wickedly humorous final scene is a more than welcome reminder of Raimi doing what he does best, mainly putting memorable characters through the physical, and emotional, wringer with a camera swinging wildly around capturing every unfortunate twist and turn. More than worth the decade and a half wait, this return to the big screen of one of horror’s most memorable directors is something to be celebrated. Let’s just hope that we do not have to wait seventeen more years for him to dip his toe into this particular genre pool. Also contains the easiest game of spot the Bruce Campbell cameo in quite some time.
Iain MacLeod