Directed by Sam Raimi, and you can tell. He also directed A Simple Plan and Drag Me to Hell, small films I think are nearly perfect in both structure and execution. Send Help is as well, but adds something. The scenario is cliched and obvious, though so well done that I didn’t mind at all. And then it started to go places I wasn’t expecting, first subtly, then outrageously. After the first twenty minutes my inner storyteller was on the edge of his seat scene after scene, wondering how Raimi was going to pull off this twist. He pulled off each and every one.
I went with my daughter, who liked it even more than me because she had no inkling what it was about. Which is why I don’t want to give any plot details, the less you know the more you’ll enjoy it. But if you must, this review is both good and nearly spoiler-free. Be forewarned that it is a horror comedy, sort of — nothing supernatural, but a few jump scares and some classic over-the-top Raimi gruesomeness. Every story beat, every joke, every twist landed for me.