Send Help Features Two Sam Raimi Easter Eggs You Probably Missed
by Chris Evangelista · /FilmMinor "Send Help" spoilers follow.
Sam Raimi is back in the saddle with "Send Help," a bloody horror comedy that marks the filmmaker's first stab at helming horror since his 2009 goo-fest "Drag Me To Hell." Raimi has several wonderful, memorable films to his name, and more often than not, these films feature some signature trademarks (or Easter eggs, if you want to be a nerd about it).
Two of those most prevalent trademarks are appearances from frequent collaborator Bruce Campbell, and use of a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, nicknamed "The Classic," a car that has been in Raimi's family since '73 and was first featured prominently in the filmmaker's groundbreaking "The Evil Dead."
So if you're wondering if Bruce Campbell and The Classic pop up anywhere in "Send Help," I'm here to tell you: yes, yes they do. Although you might miss these two unique cameos if you're not paying close attention to the background of a few shots. Campbell doesn't physically appear in the flesh, but his visage is spotted in a portrait hanging on a wall. And The Classic can been glimpsed parked in a garage.
Bruce Campbell's Send Help cameo
Raimi and Campbell got their start together, with Campbell taking the lead in Raimi's 1981 horror cult classic "The Evil Dead." The pair continued to work together over the years, with Campbell leading the additional "Evil Dead" movies as well as an "Evil Dead" spin-off show. Raimi didn't always use Campbell as his leading man, but he kept finding ways for the actor to return. Campbell had cameos (as three different characters) in all three of Raimi's "Spider-Man" films, and he recently had a scene-stealing turn as the tormented Pizza Poppa in Raimi's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
In "Send Help," main character Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) works in the Planning & Strategy Department of a successful company. We learn she's been working there for almost a decade, and that the company's owner heavily relied on her and promised her a big promotion for all her hard work. Unfortunately, the owner has recently died, and his jerk of a son Bradley, played by Dylan O'Brien, has taken over.
While Bradley's father dies before the film begins, he does make an appearance via a portrait hanging in Bradley's office. And wouldn't you know it, the portrait is a depiction of none other than Bruce Campbell. Raimi has put Campbell through hell over the years, making him the recipient of tons of comical on-screen violence. This time, he went ahead and killed him off.
Sam Raimi's 'Classic' car also makes a Send Help cameo
As for The Classic, aka Raimi's ever-present 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, that's a bit harder to spot. The car was made famous by "The Evil Dead," and Raimi kept using it again and again — it got to travel back in time in "Army of Darkness," and popped up in all three of Raimi's "Spider-Man" movies, as well as "Drag Me to Hell" and even "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
While the majority of "Send Help" is set on a deserted island, making cars kind of non-existent, the opening act of the film gives Raimi an opportunity he doesn't pass up. After Linda is informed by Bradley that she won't be getting her promised promotion, she gets understandably emotional and retreats to her car in the office parking garage. Sure enough, The Classic can be spotted in the background of this scene as Linda lets out a scream of rage.
"Send Help" is now in theaters.