The story begins with McAdams’ character, Linda Liddle, languishing in a monotonous corporate role, yearning for a promotion. Her aspirations are dashed by Bradley Preston (played by Dylan O’Brien), who inherited the company from her former boss and now offers Linda a business trip on a private jet as a consolation. When the jet crashes on an isolated island, Bradley finds himself clueless about basic survival skills. In contrast, Linda, an avid “Survivor” fan with an audition tape for the reality show, is well-prepared for the challenge. Bradley soon realizes that Linda’s expertise is his only ticket to survival on the island.

“Send Help” is packed with unexpected twists that will keep you glued to the screen. Once you’ve seen it, you might wonder what to watch next. If you can handle a thrilling narrative filled with suspense and a female lead who takes charge, we’ve got some recommendations. For those in search of a gripping tale featuring a woman breaking bad for the right reasons, these suggestions are for you.

The 2019 horror-comedy “Ready or Not,” directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, got its follow-up with “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” in 2026. However, the original remains a must-see. The film stars Samara Weaving as Grace MacCaullay, who, after a challenging upbringing in the foster care system, is set to marry her dream partner, Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), and join his affluent family. What seems idyllic soon turns sinister when, post-wedding ceremony, Grace learns of a family initiation ritual. The Le Domas clan, bound by a pact with a mysterious entity known as “Le Bail,” must draw a game from Le Bail’s puzzle box. Grace’s selection of “hide and seek” sends shockwaves through the family.

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s 2019 horror comedy “Ready or Not” got a pretty solid sequel in 2026 — aptly titled “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” — but we’re going with the original for this list, because it’s absolutely perfect. After a tough life growing up in the foster system, Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) is ready to marry the man of her dreams, Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), and become a part of the storied and wealthy Le Domas family. Everything seems absolutely dreamy until, after the ceremony, Grace gathers with the Le Domases and learns that they have a ritual to welcome new members of the family. Because the family, as they explain to Grace, once made a deal with a figure known only as “Le Bail,” they have to choose an option from Le Bail’s puzzle box and play that game; Grace draws “hide and seek,” sending many members of the Le Domas clan into shock.

What follows next is one of the deadliest games of hide and seek you’ll ever see depicted on screen, and with outstanding performances from Weaving, O’Brien, Adam Brody (who plays Alex’s drunken and lecherous brother Daniel), and Andie MacDowell (who plays Alex’s conniving mother Becky), you’ll be riveted from beginning to end. Grace is one of the best “final girls” in horror movie history, and it’s easy to imagine that she and Linda would get along swimmingly if the two ever met somehow.

At the end of the day, “Send Help” is a survival movie, and if that aspect really spoke to you, we definitely recommend “The Shallows.” After projects like “House of Wax” and “Orphan,” director Jaume Collet-Serra turned his attention to shark-infested waters with this 2016 horror movie, which stars Blake Lively as Nancy Adams. When we first meet Nancy, she’s a medical student who’s thinking about abandoning her studies while grieving the loss of her mother; trying to connect with the memories of her mom, Nancy travels to a remote Mexico beach where her mother spent time while pregnant. After surfing and enjoying the waves safely, Nancy decides to go out one last time and discovers the body of a dead whale … and while she’s distracted, she’s attacked by a great white shark.

That whale corpse ends up being a lifeline for Nancy as, stranded in the middle of the ocean as her surfboard floats away, she has to get to a single rock for safety and avoid further injuries from the shark. (She also uses items like the surfboard’s broken cord and her own jewelry to tend to the injuries she does have.) Nancy’s story is harrowing, terrifying, and suspenseful, but she’s resourceful and smart — just like Linda Liddle in “Send Help.”

Some naysayers might go so far as to say that “Send Help” owes a creative debt of gratitude to the 2022 film “Triangle of Sadness,” in that an unexpected marooning in a remote location (that also turns out to be less remote than was originally assumed) turns power dynamics among the marooned parties on their head. We’d argue that there are plenty of differences between “Send Help” and “Triangle of Sadness,” but considering you’re going to need a very strong stomach for both of these movies, they’ll definitely go together nicely. 

Written and directed by the Swedish auteur Ruben Östlund (marking his first English-language feature film), “Triangle of Sadness,” which received nominations for best director, best original screenplay, and best picture at the 95th Academy Awards, centers on a luxury cruise that goes horribly, horribly wrong. With a bunch of influencers and extremely wealthy people on board the superyacht, an extravagant dinner goes sideways — somewhat literally — when a storm strikes the boat, sending everyone careening and puking as the ship rocks to and fro. (Seriously, if you have emetophobia, do not watch “Triangle of Sadness.”)

When the ship wrecks, the survivors — including Abigail (Dolly de Leon), the superyacht’s toilet manager — find themselves on a deserted beach, and the power shifts from the wealthy passengers over to Abigail, the only one who knows how to survive. Whether or not “Send Help” actually owes a debt to “Triangle of Sadness” is debatable, but they’re both very much worth watching.

A desert island classic, “Cast Away” definitely walked so that “Send Help” can run. This 2000 film, made by Robert Zemeckis, reunites the director with his “Forrest Gump” star Tom Hanks with Hanks playing Chuck Noland, who works for FedEx as a systems analyst. Amidst strife with his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt), Chuck is weirdly relieved to be sent to deal with a situation in far-flung Malaysia … until his cargo plane crashes in the ocean and Chuck becomes the only survivor. Thanks to floating FedEx debris, Chuck is able to make it to unknown shores — though he also finds the body of one of the pilots in the process — and from that point on, his only concern is survival.

What most people remember about “Cast Away” is Wilson, the volley ball adorned with a handprint who becomes Chuck’s only friend while he’s marooned alone … but truthfully, all the Wilson jokes in the world won’t change that this movie is a master class in acting from Hanks. As the only lead actor for most of the run time of “Cast Away,” Hanks holds down the fort and keeps the movie’s momentum going, creating an endlessly watchable, absolutely fascinating, and fully immersive story as we watch Chuck hang out on this island for a whopping four years and teach himself to fish, hunt, and survive. “Send Help” never directly references “Cast Away,” but this Hanks-Zemeckis collaboration was, without question, a major inspiration for Sam Raimi’s horror romp.

“Midsommar” might not be set on a desert island, but it does, like “Send Help,” feature an intrepid heroine in an unfamiliar environment far from home defeating terrible men who get in her way through some fairly gruesome tactics. (We mean this as a compliment, to be clear). This 2019 movie from horror master Ari Aster casts Florence Pugh, in one of the roles that helped put her firmly on the map as a star to watch, as Dani, a young woman who recently suffered a massive loss. Grieving and feeling stuck, Dani decides to tag along with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) — who pointedly does not want her to do that — on a trip to Sweden alongside Christian’s friends Mark and Josh (MCU star Will Poulter and “The Good Place” standout William Jackson Harper) to experience a midsummer festival.

When the gang arrives in Sweden, they start noticing that the commune throwing the festival is … strange, to say the least — and as they uncover more secrets, Mark, Christian, Dani, and Josh start to worry that they might be in danger. Without spoiling anything, though, Dani turns out just fine; in fact, she earns the title of May Queen, which is not good for Christian’s bottom line. “Midsommar” is gut-wrenching, full of suspense, and a movie that’ll have you rooting for the female protagonist as she gives a terrible man exactly the fate he deserves.

As for “Send Help,” it’s streaming on Hulu and Disney+ now.