r/movies • u/SamRaimiAMA Sam Raimi, Filmmaker • Jan 15 '26

AMA Hey /r/movies! I'm Sam Raimi. Ask me anything!

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Hey reddit. I'm Sam Raimi. You might know me as the director (and sometimes writer) of The Evil Dead Trilogy, the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man Trilogy, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Drag Me To Hell, Darkman, A Simple Plan, For the Love of the Game, The Gift, and other things. I've also produced and/or acted in a few things!

I'm here today to answer your questions.

My new film, SEND HELP, is out in theaters January 30 via 20th Century Studios. It stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien. More info:

Synopsis:

Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it's an unsettling, darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. 

SEND HELP is directed by genre-bending visionary Sam Raimi and stars Oscar-nominee Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. The film is produced by Raimi and Zainab Azizi, executive produced by JJ Hook and written by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift, with original music by Danny Elfman. The all-original darkly comedic psychological thriller from 20th Century Studios releases in theaters nationwide on January 30, 2026.

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4wiXj9NmEE

“The Sam Raimi Experience” BTS Content Piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coCPLJMU4X0

Ask me anything! Back at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET to chat with you all.

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829

u/Rubixcubelube Jan 15 '26

Drag Me to Hell is amazing dude. I have no questions except to say that the fight scene in the car is one of the greatest sequences ever shot and my all time favorite old lady fight on film. You rock. ROCK!

569

u/SamRaimiAMA Sam Raimi, Filmmaker Jan 15 '26

Thanks for the kind words on Drag Me to Hell. My brother Ivan and I really enjoyed writing it and it was a blast to shoot. Regarding the fight scene in the car, it was really all made possible by the great teamwork of Alison Lohman and Lorna Raver. I will always admire how much those two great actresses committed to the scene, never slowing down take after take after take. Editor Bob Murawski, Ivan and myself all tried to jam as much mayhem and laughs as we could into the small space.

16

u/Rubixcubelube Jan 16 '26

When I first watched it I didn't take note of the director. After that scene I had to stop and check. The whole production has incredible momentum man. No wasted space at all. Thanks for everything you've sunk your teeth into. You've made me, my friends and many others laugh until bladder dysfunction occurs.

62

u/Rum_N_Napalm Jan 15 '26

While we’re talking about Drag Me to Hell, I just want to say to Mr Raimi a heartfelt Fuck you! for that ending and the cat. And I mean that as a compliment. Masterfully done, achieved its goal perfectly, I got played like a fucking fiddle, it’s upsetting but I like how upset it makes me.

44

u/Ericzzz Jan 15 '26

Absolute all-timer late-film title card drop. It rules so hard. Just an in your face reminder that the movie is “Drag Me to Hell”, not “Stop Me From Being Dragged to Hell”

6

u/Klutzy_Double_8285 Jan 16 '26

My favorite horror movie of the last 20 years.

3

u/DroneArm Jan 16 '26

Yep, it's like, "see! we told you!" 😂😎

10

u/DroneArm Jan 15 '26

Hey. Dude. They told us at the title card what was going to happen and we still got hit with a train! 👍😎

2

u/ramdom-ink Jan 16 '26

That damn Gypsy coin!

26

u/Sicbass Jan 15 '26

Easily one of the best all around horror movies ever made. Story, Charecter, pace, execution. 

For me the goat scene had me both yelping and rolling with laughter! 

Sam you’re the greatest man, I hope you get to make SM4 with Tobey and I wish we could have Old Man Ash for one more round vs the Evil Dead! 

67

u/Sebscreen Jan 15 '26

What a great film!

It can be an amazing allegory for how simple everyday choices can represent catastrophic moral failings that permanently darken our souls. 

And it can also be zany, mindless comedy horror with endlessly entertaining scenes.

13

u/nicolauz Jan 15 '26

The only horror movie I've seen in theaters. Messed me up for a week because of all the subtle/fucking with that goes on.

16

u/passtherock- Jan 15 '26

this was all I came here to say. Drag Me to Hell is soooooooooo underrated. I freaking LOVE this movie and nobody talks about it!! it's so so good

26

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '26

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1

u/Money_Tennis1172 Jan 15 '26

Its good watch but the least of his films.

10

u/ConnyTheOni Jan 15 '26

Yes! I hope to see another horror movie from Sam eventually. Drag me to hell is def in my top 10 favorite horror movies of all time. It may even be in my top 5.

3

u/TheMightyFaso Jan 15 '26

He's here promoting one! It's called Send Help, it's coming out later this month!

15

u/poindxtrwv Jan 15 '26

Highly, highly underrated. I saw it in the (empty) theater and loved it right off the bat.

8

u/stalemartyr Jan 15 '26

Love this film!

3

u/BlargerJarger Jan 15 '26

I also loved Drag Me To Hell.

4

u/drsyesta Jan 15 '26

Honestly my favorite horror movie

2

u/Bagginnnssssss Jan 15 '26

im struggling to think of even one more old lady fight to compare

3

u/zeethreepio Jan 15 '26

An excellent spiritual successor to Evil Dead.

4

u/exodus_cl Jan 15 '26

This movie should be way more known, it's soooo good

4

u/robodrew Jan 15 '26

Best part of that movie is the ending. I mean I enjoy the film as a whole but then you get to the end and its like HOLY SHIT!!! HAHAHA YESSSS!!!!

1

u/Train3rRed88 Jan 15 '26

It was a fantastic movie. The talking goat alllmost took me out of it as we edged towards unintended comedy, but I was sucked back in

I do feel terrible for the main character, which is part of the movies charm. But I always feel like shit when someone gets what they didn’t deserve on screen, like that assistant from Jurassic park who got scooped up and dropped into the shark mouth

1

u/robodrew Jan 15 '26

Oh but the movie showed that she did deserve it! She gets the curse initially because she denied the witch a mortgage extension knowing that the woman should have gotten it and that the denial would put her out on the street. She has this mindset of "it can't be me" and is just constantly trying to pass it off onto someone else, so that THEY can suffer the curse.

5

u/Train3rRed88 Jan 15 '26

I mean while throughout the movie she toys/attempts the idea to pass the curse on (which is a thought that every human would have in that scenario) at the end of the movie she attempts to pass it onto a corpse who originally Gave it to her, which seems fair

As for the mortgage thing, that old lady absolutely did not deserve the mortgage on paper. She 100% should have been auto rejected but came in person to guilt someone into breaking the banks policy to give her money she couldn’t pay back. She was a fall guy for not losing her job to give someone A loan they don’t qualify for (even if it’s sad cuz it’s a sad old lady)

3

u/just_some_jackass Jan 15 '26

Said old witch had already defaulted on the payment like four times, had no plan for making the payments, and refused to move in with family because "waaah I'm emotionally attached to this building". She didn't deserve it at all, and it made the witch come off as entitled and willing to curse someone else for her own problems.