Send Help

Send Help is a survival horror. When an overlooked female office worker, in a male dominated workplace, survives a plane crash and wakes up on a Pacific island with her douchebag boss, she sees the opportunity to take revenge and regain control of her life.

The story combines office power politics with the outdoors, island survival narrative. The tone is a mix of horror thriller and dark comedy. The comic element is critical in binding the story together. It adds an extra dimension to the story as well as providing a framework that excuses the plot extravagances as well as the protagonist’s dubious morality. In terms of the one line pitch it’s Cast Away meets Misery.

I enjoyed watching this film as a writer, seeing how the story balanced the horror with the dark comedy. I did sit up and say to myself – where are the writers going to take this? The ending could have gone horribly wrong, but manages to keep the story together. It’s an enjoyable, fun watch.

The Housemaid

Freida McFaddens’s The Housemaid is a tense psychological mystery with an interesting plot twist. It’s an accessible, fun read. The movie is out and it is equally engrossing.

The story works within genre conventions and also subvert them with a fresh take that feels compelling and authentic. There’s a flavour of The Girl on the Train meets 90s psychological mystery, along with a contemporary #metoo vibe.