How Raimi Productions President Zainab Azizi Got Sam Raimi Back to R-Rated Horror

Zainab Azizi, president of Raimi Productions, spent five years developing “Send Help,” Sam Raimi’s return to R-rated horror following 2022’s “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.”

The film, which opened at No. 1 this past weekend with $20 million, centers on Linda Little, an overworked and underappreciated executive who becomes stranded on a deserted island with her horrible boss. The film stars Rachel McAdams as Linda Little and Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston, Little’s boss.

“I just fell in love with the log line,” Azizi tells TheWrap’s Office With a View series. “I thought that was such a unique and interesting hook. I think Linda Little is so relatable. We’ve all been that executive in the office, you know, where you’re working 12 to 14 hours a day. You don’t get credit for the work that you put in. And Linda’s not the coolest person in the office, but she’s really smart and she deserves that promotion.”

At Raimi Productions, Azizi focuses on developing original stories and first-time directors — a gamble in franchise-obsessed Hollywood.

“I think audiences are very hungry for original stories,” she says. “People just want to be entertained and escape this weird world that we’re in, and why not be in a theater or at home, streaming, watching a film and finding a way to escape? So I love telling original stories. I love telling bold original stories. And it is a lot of work but it’s also a lot of risk.”

The film also reunites Raimi with composer Danny Elfman, who has collaborated with the director for 35 years. For Azizi, whose favorite soundtrack of all time is Elfman’s “Edward Scissorhands,” bringing the composer on board was a dream come true. 

“The minute we had the script years ago, I called Danny’s manager right away, and she was like, ‘Yep, he’s on board,'” she said. “He really elevated the movie, and he made it so emotional, and we had so much fun working on Linda Little’s theme, and he was very much inspired by the theme of ‘Rosemary’s Baby.'”

“Send Help” got a theatrical release following the streaming success of “Don’t Move,” which hit number one on Netflix. The film was shot specifically for the big screen in 3D, 4DX and ScreenX formats. Azizi is also developing a script called “Magic” at Lionsgate and a biopic of Japanese matinee idol Sessue Hayakawa.

The following is an interview lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

You’ve built Raimi Productions around original IP and first-time directors in an industry obsessed with franchises. How do you make the case for original stories?

Audiences are very hungry for original stories. People just want to be entertained and escape this weird world that we’re in, and why not be in a theater or at home, streaming, watching a film and finding a way to escape? So I love telling original stories. I love telling bold original stories. And it is a lot of work but it’s also a lot of risk.

You’ve been developing this project for five years. What was it about this story that made you fight to get it made?

I mean, so it’s actually been longer, 2019, so long. And, you know, I just fell in love with it. So the origin is that I met with the writers, Mark (Swift) and Damien (Shannon). I’ve been a fan of their work, and we hit it off in a wonderful general meeting. And we knew we wanted to work together and find an original story. And they pitched, you know, a couple of log lines, and I saw the log line of Linda Little, and I loved it, and it was an overworked, underappreciated executive who has promised a promotion, doesn’t get it, and her terrible boss just inherited the company from his father, and they get stranded on a deserted island.

I thought that was such a unique and interesting hook. I think Linda Little is so relatable. We’ve all been that executive in the office where you’re working 12 to 14 hours a day. You know, you don’t get credit for the work that you put in. And Linda’s not the coolest person in the office, but she’s really smart and and she deserves that promotion. So I loved that story, and I think I love fighting for the underdog, and I felt it was a story I had to fight for to get made.

This also feels like a significant moment, since Sam is returning to R-rated horror with a female anti-hero at the center. What made this the right project for that?

He fell in love with the character of Linda Little. He loves fighting for the underdog, but at the end of the day, he’s all about the thrills and chills and just being on a complete ride. The script that Mark and Damien wrote was brilliant. It was a page turner, and it was such a dream come true to have Sam be the helm behind it.

You previously mentioned that it took a couple of years to develop with Sam. What was the biggest creative challenge in getting the script right?

You know, it’s really fun making a movie about a woman, especially a woman anti-hero, because we don’t see that often. You know, we see it a lot with men. So I think a lot of — before we set it up and we were pitching to buyers, a lot of people were terrified with it. They didn’t know what to do with it. And I think as we were developing it, it was a fun game that we played of, how far can we take it, you know, and how far can she go without making sure she is redeemable. So it took a lot of development and a lot of volume turning but I hope audiences enjoy the final product.

Danny Elfman scoring this feels perfect for Sam’s return to the genre. What was it like bringing him into the process?

Well, Danny and Sam go back 35 years. So I think for Danny, it was just one phone call. You know, the minute we had the script years ago, I called Danny’s manager right away, and she was like, “Yep, he’s on board.” So he was always attached from the start, and because they have this long history, it was an easy shoe-in. But for me, personally, he’s one of my favorite composers of all time. “Edward Scissorhands” is my favorite soundtrack of all time. So it was a dream come true. And he really elevated the movie, and he made it so emotional, and we had so much fun working on Linda Little’s theme, and he was very much inspired by the theme of “Rosemary’s Baby.” And I’m really excited about what audiences will see with what we did with his music.

When I was looking at the production notes, it said you pushed to shoot on the actual Thai islands instead of green screen. What made that worth the logistical challenge?

Well, Sam and I have never shot on a beach before, so we learned a lot. Safety is always number one. But I think when it came to shooting on a beach, we had a lot of concerns about sound, the sound of the waves and the sound of the jungles and the birds and the cicadas were a whole other thing, and then even the sand. We had to, because they were on a deserted island, we had to make sure there were no footprints. So it was really fun seeing all the sand sweepers and the constant mosquitoes and making sure everybody was hydrated. So it was interesting, but no regret. The island itself is a character of the film, and we wanted to make sure it was something that audiences have never seen before. We wanted something that was very exotic and beautiful but also dangerous and threatening.

After the success of “Don’t Move” hitting number one on Netflix, what does it mean to bring “Send Help” to theaters?

I think “Send Help” is a film that you should watch in theaters. It has a lot of exciting moments that you would want to experience in a dark room with people. There’s a lot of twists and turns in this film that you don’t see happening, and Sam and his DP, Bill Pope, specifically made the film to be viewed in a huge theater. And we’re making the film in 3D and 4DX and ScreenX. And 4DX is my absolute favorite. It was a joy making the movie in 4DX and it made the film as a ride to a whole different level.

And finally, what’s next for you after “Send Help”? What’s on your slate?

I have two films that I’m casting right now that I can’t talk about yet, but one film that I’m very excited about, which Shannon-Swift also wrote, is a script called “Magic,” and that’s at Lionsgate. I’m also developing a biopic of Seshu Hayakawa, which is very dear to my heart. So I’m very, very excited about that.

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