Send Help is right, because we’re definitely screaming, crying, and throwing up at The A.V. Club right now. Legendary genre director Sam Raimi—the filmmaker behind Drag Me To Hell, the OG Spider-Man series, and of course, the Evil Dead franchise—has reportedly closed a deal with 20th Century Studios to direct and produce the new original horror feature Send Help, according to Deadline. Apart from 2022's Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, which we’ll just chalk up to a rather unfortunate blip (even Raimi has to get his bag somehow), the filmmaker hasn’t directed a film since 2013's Oz The Great And Powerful, which was also, unfortunately, not very good.
But now he’s had eleven years and plenty of time to reconsider his approach, so please allow us this moment of optimism. The film was actually announced back in 2019, with sources describing it as a “two-hander horror thriller set on an island” that falls somewhere between Misery and Castaway. A film about someone who literally can’t escape their captor because there’s no one else around, and only open ocean in every direction? In this glorious year of Lost rewatches? Raimi would have to work hard to screw that up.
While the film hasn’t been officially greenlit by the studio, the project feels like a shoo-in. Raimi will direct from an original script penned by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, whose previous credits include Friday The 13th, Freddy Vs. Jason, and on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the 2017 Baywatch reboot. We know people didn’t love that one too much either, but look at it this way: they’ve got both horror and beach knowledge—perfect for a deserted island. No cast has been announced as of this writing, but maybe Shannon and Swift will give their old coworker Zac Efron a call. This would be a great addition to his Oscar campaign reel.
Since releasing Oz The Great And Powerful in 2013 and Drag Me To Hell in 2009, Raimi has spent a lot more time on the production side of things. His recent credits include Evil Dead Rise (2023), Boy Kills World (2023), and the upcoming Locked and Don’t Move. He’s also directed a few television episodes for shows like Rake, Ash Vs Evil Dead, and 50 States Of Fright.