All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. As an added bonus, I’ll be doing a secondary review that may be somewhat related to the main review or slightly missed the countdown by inches. Follow along the countdown every day in October. Feel free to agree, disagree, or better yet, give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies of the year. Happy Halloween!

The Best in Horror 2025-2026 So Far…

#31 – DOLLY (GATOR FACE)
#30 – THINESTRA (SACCHARINE)
#29 – ONSLAUGHT (BEAST OF WAR)
#28 – READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (PENNY LANE IS DEAD)
#27 – IN OUR BLOOD (V/H/S/HALLOWEEN)
#26 – SEND HELP (HEEL)

#26 – SEND HELP (2026)

Released on January 30, 2026!
Streaming on Hulu from 20th Century Fox!
Directed by Sam Raimi.
Written by Damian Shannon, Mark Swift.
Check out the trailer here!

A shrewish employee named Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) and her new boss Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) who has in one day, ruined her dreams of promotion, are the lone survivors of a plane crash and wash up on a deserted island. As Bradley heals, Linda – a SURVIVOR junkie and outdoor enthusiast, nurses him back to health. But the mean-spirited Bradley has some adjusting to do when the tables are turned and Linda takes charge of making sure they don’t die on this island. But the longer they stay on the island, the more the two get to know one another. One might think this is the recipe for a typical Rom-com where the couple see past their differences and fall in love. But this is a film directed by Sam Raimi and SEND HELP turns out to be anything but your typical love story.

I don’t usually take a look at things like marketing when it comes to horror, but since you can’t turn on the TV without seeing a trailer for SEND HELP, it’s kind of hard not to make note of it. Mentioning that this is a Sam Raimi film is going to get geeks in the seats. And since the bulk of the trailers focus on Rachel McAdams’ as Linda, who is disrespected by her boss and looked over for promotion, SEND HELP is going to get those young to middle aged professional women to the theater for some catharsis against their own bosses at work. Casting McAdams was smart as well, as there really isn’t a woman alive who hasn’t seen THE NOTEBOOK and MEAN GIRLS and if you get the girls wanting to go see a horror movie, the guys usually are game to take them to theaters in hopes that there are enough jump scares to have the gals clutching on them in the dark. So, as with most big budgeters, a lot of thought seems to have been put into SEND HELP, which also means a movie that takes risks, flips expectations, and goes against mainstream mentality is not something to expect with this one. Now, I like my big budgeters as much as the next guy and Sam Raimi hasn’t done me wrong though I love some of his work more than others, but because I like my horror unpredictable and downright wrong, I kind of knew going in, that’s not what I was going to get with SEND HELP.

And yes, for the most part, SEND HELP could be considered safe horror. The focus is on the battle of wits between Linda and Bradley, but I was surprised how bloody things eventually get. There’s an especially gnarly boar hunting scene, hinted at in the trailer, and the climax delivers some genuinely toe-curling effects. For a big budget movie, I was surprised at how much gore and violence ended up showing up by the time the credits rolled by, though the story takes its sweet time to get there.

This is a Raimi movie, so of course, there are a few things shrewd-eyed fans will see. Raimi’s 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale, which has appeared in every one of his movies, does make an appearance. I won’t tell you where but look for it. There’s also a clever Bruce Campbell cameo that is a blink and you’ll miss it moment. But the thing I most appreciated was some of the early shots of Raimi’s old trademark extreme and creative camera angles that never failed to entertain. It was these angles that set Raimi apart from the rest of his ilk in his heyday in the eighties and nineties. With Raimi, I knew that I’d always see the camera swoop and zoom in and pull back with manic and cartoonish glee and took quite a bit of joy in seeing them appear multiple times in some key grossout or simply comical moments in SEND HELP.

Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are great in their respective roles. Throughout the story, both actors do and say some despicable things to one another. And the narrative provides enough reasons for both characters to get retribution or redemption. This is a film that highlights the worst in both characters, making it hard to root for those who indeed should survive. Who does survive? I’m not telling, but though neither Linda or Bradley pull no punches during the climax, it turns out it is who I suspected it would be, and I’m sure those savvy to who this film is geared towards will be able to guess who comes out on top.

That said, SEND HELP was a wild ride. I was surprised at how much of what is in the trailer occurs in the first half of the movie and how little it reveals about the latter half. Good on this film for using some restraint in spoiling the last half. Though it is more of a survival action film, SEND HELP does get nice and goppy by the end, earning its horror categorization. This is one of the better Raimi yarns in recent memory as I had feared the director had given up his horror director roots in favor of his bigger budget superhero work. Raimi can still deliver the goods when he tries and though there was not a Kelp to be seen, SEND HELP is worth watching. The tribe and I have spoken.

Worth Noting – HEEL (2025)

Released on March 6, 2026!
Available On Demand from HanWay Films!
Directed by Jan Komasa.
Written by Bartek Bartosik, Naqqash Khalid.
Check out the trailer here!

ADOLESCENCE’s Stephen Graham looking very Steve Irwin-like with that
wig, shines as Chris, the patriarch of a very emotionally twisted family. Chris abducts Tommy (Anson Boon) who is out of his gourd after a long night of drinking. Tommy wakes up with a collar around his neck and chained to the wall. Chris reveals that he and his wife Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough) plan to teach Tommy how to behave and become a part of their family. Through a series of lessons, conditioning, and outright torture, Tommy resists but eventually begins to come around and see this weird group as the family he never had. But when that family becomes threatened by outside forces, will Tommy choose to escape or protect his new family?

More of a twisted drama than straight up horror, HEEL is going to make you squirm. It’s basically about a man and woman chipping away at the will of a broken and destructive kid over a long period of time. There is a lot of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE at work in HEEL as Tommy is forced to watch some of the twisted acts he has done with unblinking, sober eyes. While the film is not completely in your face with the violent breaking of Tommy’s spirit, it is shown throughout. But despite the horrible acts Tommy has done, my heart broke numerous times as he is “rewarded” for good behavior like being taken out into a field for a breath of fresh air and Tommy is actually thankful for getting this “gift.” This is the moral pain one feels when you see a beaten dog still have hope and wag his tail when he sees his abusers approaching. Heartbreaking.

There are no heroes in HEEL. No clean characters to root for. The closest thing to innocence is the younger son of Chris and Kathryn, Jonathan (Kit Rakusen). He has seen this experiment happen before and has also witnessed abuse himself. He is completely on edge all the time, trying not to disappoint his parents and scared to death of them. Still, he attempts to manipulate Tommy as he desperately wants a brotherly companionship himself in this insane household. Rakusen plays this role perfectly. Though he is a young actor, Rakusen conveys a lot of complexity for this role.

The rest of the cast is awful and fascinating all at once. Ever since his portrayal of Al Capone in BOARDWALK EMPIRE, Stephen Graham has been on my radar. In HEEL, he has some of that simmering rage, but there does seem to be some kind of hope that this experiment with Tommy will work, mainly because it benefits his bedridden and sickly wife Kathryn. Her well-being is central to his entire motivation, so once again, you hate this character for what he does but sympathize with him because his goals are noble. Chris wants a strong and loving family and will do just about anything, no matter how morally terrible to accomplish this.

Andrea Riseborough is equally fascinating as Kathryn. She isn’t abusive. She is the good cop in this situation. But Kathryn supports this goal just the same, taking part in the abuse using Chris as the whipping switch. Kathryn benefits from all of this as seen in her health and mentality improving the more progress Tommy shows.

Finally, Anson Boon is wonderful as Tommy. Full of rage at the beginning but showing his softer side towards the end. Yes, he is a monster that is being tamed, but seeing this beast collared as he is—is devastating. The film hinges on his performance, and he succeeds at every crack in the armor that occurs.

Listing all the actors and how awesome they are simply says how amazing the script to HEEL really is. It’s not wham-bang action. It’s a quieter breaking of the soul and spirit. But this film resonates big and will leave you feeling horrible as the credits roll for what transpires for this fucked up family. God, this is a devastating movie. If that feels like a good time to you, then you’re the type of twisted viewer HEEL is looking for.

Once again, feel free to agree, disagree, or how about you play along at home and give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies. It’s October, so let’s talk horror. Come back tomorrow for the next level in the Best in Horror Countdown. Be sure to hit all of the pertinent bells and whistles down below and you’ll never miss a post! Happy Halloween, folks!