Sam Raimi Names the Unexpected Horror Classics That Inspire Him Most

If you know Sam Raimi, you know the drill: oceans of blood, eyeballs popping out, and enough slime to send a janitor into early retirement. So, it might surprise you to learn the movies that actually freaked out the guy behind Evil Dead. Turns out, he’s got some pretty interesting taste—definitely not just a “let’s-watch-buckets-of-gore” kind of guy.

Raimi Brings Us 'Send Help'

This year, Raimi's heading back to horror-land with Send Help. Here’s the setup: Rachel McAdams plays an exhausted employee who gets stuck on a desert island with her pain-in-the-neck boss, played by Dylan O'Brien. (Yes, that’s a pairing I did not have on my 2024 horror bingo card.) If you’re thinking “maybe they’ll bond and build a shelter together,” think again. Raimi promises this is survival of the fittest—so expect less team-building and more scrambling to get off the island (possibly at each other’s expense).

So, What Actually Scares Sam Raimi?

During a Reddit AMA hyping up Send Help, a fan asked the million-dollar question: what horror movies actually make Raimi lose sleep? He rattled off a list of favorites that’s honestly all over the map but has some gems that don’t always get their due. Here’s what makes the cut:

• Robert Wise's The Haunting (1963): The OG haunted house movie—atmospheric, super tense, and honestly, still creepy today. (And no, I do not mean the cheese-fest that was the 1999 Liam Neeson remake. The original's the one you want.)
• Steven Spielberg's Jaws: Not your typical horror flick, unless you count making everyone terrified to swim forever as horror. Watching it through Raimi’s eyes, maybe all that tension and buildup makes sense as an influence.
• Takashi Shimizu's The Grudge: If you like supernatural scares and never want to sleep again, this Japanese ghost story is a safe bet.
• Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others: In Raimi’s own words: 'Some of my favorite horror films are Robert Wise's The Haunting, Steven Spielberg's Jaws, Takashi Shimizu's The Grudge, and Alejandro Amenábar's The Others.'

Honestly, I feel like The Others gets forgotten way too often. Nicole Kidman absolutely crushes it, and the slow-burn, shadowy atmosphere is about as good as ghost stories get. If you haven't revisited it in years, now's the time. And yes, The Haunting is a total classic—just pretend the late '90s remake never happened.

Mark Your Calendars

If tropical horror is your thing (or you just want to see Rachel McAdams lose it on a deserted beach), Send Help lands in theaters January 30. Maybe give Raimi’s favorite spooky movies a rewatch before then—after all, if they manage to scare one of the kings of horror, that’s saying something.