Sam Raimi is the last person on Earth you’d expect to be faint – hearted. The director of such wild – eyed horror tales as and Drag Me to Hell has spent years perfecting his own style of horror – comedy. However, Raimi tells Inverse that the genre still makes him nervous.
“I still can’t handle them,” he confesses with a bashful smile. “I’m very sensitive to them… I’m like the timid kid who likes to scare others but is actually petrified himself.”
You’d never guess it by looking at his filmography, especially his latest movie, , which seems like a true comeback to the genre and tone that fans adore Raimi for. The director reunites with Doctor Strange‘s Rachel McAdams for a variation on a classic concept: What if you were stuck on a deserted island with the most awful person? McAdams plays Linda Liddle, the meek employee who was the target of every joke at a flashy Fortune 500 company. On an unknown island in the Gulf of Thailand, though, her excellent survival skills make her essential to Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), the boss who previously intended to fire her immediately.
Send Help quickly focuses on the kind of change in fortune that many similar films have already explored. Raimi was well aware of any possible points of comparison. When he first read the film pitch written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, it directly mentioned and Cast Away.
“I love both movies. They’re clearly both classics and masterpieces,” Raimi says. “But I made it a rule not only to avoid watching them again but also, when I noticed similarities, to try a different approach. I didn’t really like working like that, but they’re such great classics that I had no choice.”
Raimi’s art department took a somewhat different approach, especially when filming the plane crash that strands Linda and Bradley on their island prison. “We watched every imaginable plane – crash scene,” says Zainab Azizi, Raimi’s long – time producer. “It was terrifying, but we wanted to ensure ours was very unique and distinct.”
Regardless of the technique, Raimi’s signature touch is unmistakable. Send Help feels like a new take on an old formula because of his involvement. It’s great to see the director back in his element, even if he’s squeamish behind the camera. But fans are also wondering if Raimi has his sights set on another well – known genre: the superhero movie. Raimi created one of the most beloved superhero trilogies of all time with the Spider – Man films and seems eager to explore more of the genre after 2022’s . Instead of returning to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, though, Raimi seems more interested in Marvel’s toughest competitor.
“I think many of those DC characters are amazing, just like the Marvel characters,” Raimi reveals. “I think any story they have that has a real character arc – something I can understand, the development, the transformation, the actions of the hero and the villain – I’d love to work on. It’s really that simple. If I had a well – written character story, I think you could make a really good movie.”
Raimi’s interest in DC makes a lot of sense, as he once attempted to… With the DC Universe under new management and at least… in the works, the chances of Raimi taking on the character are slim. Still, any DC film directed by Raimi would be fascinating. If Send Help proves anything, it’s that the world needs more from the filmmaker.