Rachel McAdams On Reuniting With Sam Raimi For The Experimental Thriller Send Help

Send Help thrives on the uncertainty of character, morality, and outcome. Directed by Sam Raimi, the survival thriller focuses not just on physical danger but on the psychological tension between two people forced into an impossible situation. For Rachel McAdams, it was this emotional complexity and unpredictability that made the film stand out, turning the project into one of her most challenging and exciting experiences.

"I loved the moral ambiguity around Linda and Bradley," she explains. "It's a true two-hander with lots of twists and turns-I love that about the script. I was very excited about the chills and thrills in it. And then when I heard Sam was directing it, it was like, 'Oh, that's just so perfect. This is right in his sweet spot."

McAdams and Raimi had previously collaborated on the 2022 box-office hit 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', and the opportunity to reunite was especially appealing because Send Help allowed them far more creative freedom. According to McAdams, "Sam is exceedingly passionate when it comes to making movies. He's such a master. He gets so into story and character, and he's so collaborative. And you can throw the wackiest ideas at him and he's like, 'I love it. Let's try it.' This movie had a lot of room for that kind of experimentation, so that was really exciting."

The spirit of risk-taking defined the experience for McAdams. "Sam was asking, 'How much can we get away with? How many times can we lose the audience and win them back? Let's just try it and see," McAdams continues. "It's one of the more experimental films I've done. That was terrifying and really thrilling. I loved the journey."

With Send Help, Raimi and McAdams lean into discomfort, unpredictability, and creative risk, resulting in a film that promises to keep audiences guessing, unsettled, and completely locked in until the very end.

The all-original darkly comedic psychological thriller from 20th Century Studios releases in theatres nationwide on January 30, 2026.