After fifteen years, and a brief dabble with blockbuster filmmaking (2013’s “Oz The Great And Powerful“; 2022’s “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness“), Sam Raimi returns to horror. Deadline reports that the legendary genre filmmaker will helm the horror thriller “Send Help” over at 20th Century Studios. It’s Raimi’s first genre film since 2009’s “Drag Me To Hell,” a fan-favorite (and arguably the last true “Raimi” film he’s made).
Raimi will also produce the pic, a survivalist thriller set on a deserted island. 20th Century describes “Send Help” as a blend of Rob Reiner‘s “Misery” and Robert Zemeckis‘ “Castaway,” so it’s safe to expect an abduction plot where a character is held captive. Maybe something in the vein of last year’s “Influencer“? We’ll see: the studio has yet to officially greenlight the project, although they’re aiming for a theatrical release for it, not a streaming one on Hulu. Damian Shannon and Mark Swift pen the original script, with Raimi producing through Raimi Productions with Zainab Azizi.
As noted earlier, Raimi hasn’t made a horror film in a long time, and his work in that genre cements his filmmaking legacy. The “Evil Dead” franchise remains Raimi’s biggest accomplishment: Raimi made his feature debut with the 1981 original, but 1987’s “Evil Dead II” and 1992’s “Army Of Darkness” are cult classics. But Raimi only produces “Evil Dead” films these days, with him and his old friend Rob Taper producing two upcoming installments from Francis Galluppi and Sébastien Vaniček.
Later in his career, Raimi also directed the Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” films, laying the groundwork for the superhero movie genre. However, in recent years, Raimi has worked mainly as a producer. Two recent films he funded are “Don’t Move,” which Netflix picked up in April, and “Locked,” starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, currently in post-production.
Meanwhile, Shannon and Swift have their own history in modern horrors. The pair co-write 2003’s “Freddy Vs. Jason” and 2009’s “Friday The 13th” reboot. Outside of that, they’re best known for the 2017 “Baywatch” movie; not a horror film, unless of course you’re one of the unfortunate souls who sat through that one.
Stay tuned for casting news for “Send Help,” which will likely get a theatrical release sometime next year. Given its island location, maybe it’s safe to predict it’ll hit theaters next summer?