‘Send Help’ and Other Movies About Castaways
'Send Help' begins with Linda Liddle, played by Rachel McAdams, washing ashore and taking in an uncertain horizon—an image that immediately places the film in the long lineage of cinematic castaways. The premise stretches back to Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel 'Robinson Crusoe' and turns up across genres, from sitcoms and rom-coms to art house, war pictures and sci‑fi.
Because this is a Sam Raimi film, 'Send Help' carries revolting flourishes that push it toward horror; many castaway stories instead follow survivalist routines—finding water, shelter and food—and ask whether solitude or company is the greater challenge.