See Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien in ‘Send Help’ first look (exclusive)

S.O.S.

For many people, being stranded on a desert island is their worst nightmare. But what if, instead of Wilson the volleyball, you were stuck with the co-worker you most detest?

That’s the concept at the heart of Send Help, the new psychological horror thriller from director Sam Raimi — and Entertainment Weekly has your exclusive first look at the darkly comedic project.

Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien star as Linda Liddle and Bradley Preston, two co-workers who become the sole survivors of a plane crash while on a business trip. Stranded on a deserted island, they have to work together to survive, which means overcoming past grievances.

With tensions rising, the film transforms into an unsettling black comedy as the colleagues descend into a battle of wills and wits. Who will make it out alive?

“I found the two lead characters, Linda and Bradley, to be complex, human, and constantly at odds with each other in often conflicting situations,” Raimi tells EW of what attracted him to the project. “The pitch was outrageous and original, all the while tracking these two in their conflict as their power dynamic changed dramatically. I knew right away that I wanted to direct this picture.”

The first look images show a desperate O’Brien staring intently at McAdams, as well as a sweaty McAdams pointing a makeshift spear toward the camera. There’s some camaraderie in the photos, too, though, in a shot that features McAdams feeding a seemingly wounded O’Brien water from a coconut.

“Rachel’s character has just been washed ashore from a plane crash and is the only survivor, along with her terrible boss,” Raimi says, explaining the photo at the top of the article. “It’s the beginning of their time on the island, and Linda is just starting to put her survivalist hobbies to the test. Dylan’s character is injured, in and out of consciousness, and Linda feeds him coconut water.”

Not only is Liddle “the most capable, hardworking, and overlooked member of her consulting firm’s strategy and planning team,” she’s also handy with a spear.

“Once trapped on the island, Rachel’s character knows that she needs protein to survive. Time to bring home the bacon!” Raimi quips, describing the image of McAdams holding the weapon.

Produced by Raimi and Zainab Azizi (Locked, Don’t Move), the survival thriller was written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, who previously cowrote the 2017 Baywatch movie, the 2009 rendition of Friday the 13th, and 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason.

“What I really love about this story is that it’s an underdog tale at its core. Not only is it about survival on a deserted island, but it’s also a story of female empowerment and transformation,” Raimi notes. “Watching a once-powerful boss find himself dependent on someone he underestimated is satisfying. Our story is universal! We need to encourage our society to treat people with respect and kindness, regardless of status. It’s especially rewarding to see our heroine, Linda, come into her own in such an unexpected environment.”

See if Linda and Bradley make it out alive when Send Help crash-lands into theaters on Jan. 30, 2026.