By MICHAEL GINGOLD
An unsuspecting couple become caught up in misogynist madness in the movie releasing next week.
Epic Pictures’ Dread label brings BYSTANDERS, an award-winner at the Nightmares and HorrorHound Film Festivals, to North American VOD platforms January 21. The directorial debut of genre journalist/producer Mary Beth McAndrews, it was scripted by Jamie Alvey, who also co-stars alongside Brandi Botkin, Bob Wilcox, Garrett Murphy, Chaney Morrow and Hannah Fierman (V/H/S). The synopsis: Clare [Alvey] and Gray [Murphy] are your typical loving millennial couple navigating a jaded world. Abby [Botkin] is a sweet awkward teen. When Abby attends a party held by her crush, a rich frat boy hotshot named Cody [Wilcox], 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.”
“BYSTANDERS has been incredibly close to my heart since I first read Jamie Alvey’s script,” McAndrews says. “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.”
