The first trailer for Sam Raimi's Send Help is finally here, secretly revealing several spine-chilling spoilers set for the new 2026 thriller. Raimi's new black comedy, which looks something like Carrie meets Castaway, follows a down-on-her-luck, emotionally reserved office worker, Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams), who, after a devastating plane crash, becomes stranded on a desert island with her jerk of a boss, Bradley Preston (played by popular Nightwing fancast Dylan O'Brien).
After some time in their new sandy surroundings, McAdams' Linda begins to lose her grip on reality, asserting her dominance over her ignoramus manager in a way she has never had the chance to in the office.
Send Help arrives in theaters on January 30, 2026, marking one of the first major tentpole theatrical releases of the new year (read more about the 2026 theatrical slate here). It stars McAdams and O'Brien at its center, with the likes of Edyll Ismail, Dennis Haysbert, and Xavier Samuel rounding out its cast.
Every Secret Spoiler Hidden in the Send Help Trailer
A Possible Leg Amputation
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that is put on full display in the new Send Help trailer. One of the key moments from this heart-pumping piece of movie marketing seemingly hints at Rachel McAdams' Linda seemingly having to amputate the leg of her boss, Bradley.
There are several shots in the new sneak peek at the film, showing the injuries of Dylan O'Brien's company man. These include deep gashes on one of his legs. Later in the trailer, it is then indicated that Linda needs to cut the leg herself as infection begins to fester.
Fans get a glimpse of McAdams' character heating a knife to cauterize a wound, and telling Bradley, "I'm a much nicer boss than you ever would have been, except for maybe this part," before the camera cuts to Bradley's tear-filled eyes.
There are shots of O'Brien's character running in the trailer as well, so it is not immediately apparent if this knife moment is hinting at an amputation, but whatever it is, it seems as though Linda is going to have to perform a grisly procedure of some sort on the beaches of Send Help's derelict island setting.
Supernatural Elements?
Nothing overtly supernatural appears in the plot description for Sam Raimi's Send Help, but with films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Drag Me to Hell under his belt, a supernatural bent cannot be counted out.
Fans get a glimpse of this potential supernatural twist toward the end of the trailer, as a hand emerges from the ground, perhaps hinting at an undead element being present in the new film. The color and movement of the arm seem to indicate something of a zombified nature, but it may also be a clever fake-out on the part of the Send Help creative team.
There is also a chance the arm belongs to Linda. Maybe Bradley gets the jump on her, trapping her underground before he buries her alive. Then, to Bradley's surprise, she emerges from the soily grave only to continue her rampage on her overbearing boss.
A Fight in the Forest
While the Send Help trailer keeps things relatively close to the vest, there appears to be a slight nod to one of the movie's primary set pieces, shown during the teaser's closing montage.
This depicts two characters engaged in a fight in the forest, with two people seen grappling with one another in the dense jungle as rain pours down upon them.
It is unclear whether this is Linda and Bradley coming to blows in one epic final confrontation, or if perhaps the island they have become stranded on harbors other humans hidden in its dense jungle, some of whom could be ready for bloody conflict when they cross paths with Bradley and Linda.
Escape From the Island
Like any great 'stranded on an island' story, Send Help will seemingly include an intense escape attempt. During one split-second shot in the trailer, fans get a glimpse of O'Brien's character atop a raft bathed in moonlight as he seems to float away from the island.
As always with this kind of escape attempt, any number of things can go wrong, meaning fans should not take this as confirmation that Bradley will make it off the island by the end of the movie.
In fact, there is a chance the cocky businessman bites the dust not too long after this, with his seeming escape being included in the trailer to throw fans off the scent.
A Twist on Who We're Rooting For
Throughout most of the trailer, Sam Raimi's 2026 horror epic appears to be attempting to engage the audience in Linda's story, casting her in the hero role for the movie as she seeks revenge for her previous mistreatment in the workplace.
This is evident as she is the one to take charge on the island, showing her dominance over her boss, Bradley, for the first time in her life.
However, as this first look progresses, an eerie feeling begins to envelop her character. That feeling of 'Heck yeah, get your revenge, girl,' slowly evolves into 'Linda, you're kind of scaring me here,' as she goes from setting up a shelter to talking about potentially amputating legs and loving the thrill of the hunt.
Perhaps all this setting Linda up as the hero in the trailer is meant to subvert expectations for the final film, where audiences will likely sympathize with Bradley by the end of the movie, rooting for him to survive Linda's slow descent into madness.
