Bystanders (2024)

Last updated on April 29th, 2025 at 10:15 pm

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Clare and Gray are your typical loving millennial couple navigating a jaded world. Abby is a sweet awkward teen. When Abby attends a party held by her crush, a rich frat boy hotshot named Cody, the bash spins out of control when Cody and the boys decide to drug, rape, and hunt several of the girls in attendance. When Abby’s path intersects with Gray and Clare’s path, they form an unlikely alliance during a night of chaos and bloodshed as the trio fight for their lives against the collegiate creeps.

DREAD distributes in the US.

Filmed in Kentucky.

Epic Pictures Group CEO Patrick Ewald said the following in a statement: “Mary Beth McAndrews is a visionary in the world of horror, and ‘Bystanders’ is a testament to her creativity and fearless storytelling. This film is not just a chilling experience; it’s a reflection of Mary Beth’s unique perspective and passion for pushing the boundaries of the genre.”

The directorial debut of Mary Beth McAndrews, who was quoted saying: “Bystanders has been incredibly close to my heart since I first read Jamie Alvey’s script. As a sexual assault survivor, being able to tell this story in all of its gory glory has been incredibly cathartic and liberating. A film like ‘Bystanders’ is more important now than ever and I’m thrilled that Dread is helping us share it with the world.”

This film reportedly won awards after screening at both Nightmares Film Festival and HorrorHound Film Festival. At HorrorHound, “Bystanders was nominated for 11 awards and won seven, including best feature, best directing, best writing, best supporting performance (Garrett Murphy), best cinematography, best editing and Judges Choice.”

This is described as a rape-revenge thriller.

DREAD released Bystanders on VOD on January 21, 2025.

IMDb

Director: Mary Beth McAndrews