‘Bystanders’: Ultra-violent New Revenge Slasher From DREAD Reveals First Look Images
Josh Korngut
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DREAD, the specialty horror label of Epic Pictures, the L.A.-based distribution and financing company, is producing Bystanders, a brutal revenge-fueled horror film crafted from a survivor’s perspective. This terrifying upcoming title concerns a group of murderous frat boys who get more than they bargained for when they cross paths with a couple coming home from a wedding.
Co-directed by Dread Central Editor-in-Chief Mary Beth McAndrews and writer Jamie Alvey, Bystanders is a twisted rape-revenge thriller uniquely positioned from a feminist point of view.
“Making Bystanders has been a cathartic and healing experience, to say the least,” says co-director Mary Beth McAndrews. “Nothing about making this film had been easy, especially as it’s made me confront my own sexual assault experiences head-on. But I’ve never been so proud of myself and of the entire cast and crew on this film. We’re making something important that I hope can help at least just one person feel seen and understood.”
In the film, a sweet and awkward teenage girl named Abby attends a party held by her crush Cody, an attractive and rich frat boy. But soon, the event spins out of control when the boys decide to drug, rape, and hunt down several of the girls in attendance. Meanwhile, Clare and Gray are a sweet-loving millennial couple who are driving their way home. But when Abby, Gray, and Clare’s paths all intersect, they form an unlikely and violent alliance during a night of chaos and bloodshed. Soon the trio must fight for their lives against their collegiate offenders.
An important subversion of its subgenre, Bystanders will shock audiences by harnessing the brutal and exploitative nature of revenge horror from the perspectives of women both behind and in front of the camera.
Jamie Alvey, Garrett Murphy, Brandi Botkin, and Bob Wilcox star in the film. It is produced by Epic Pictures and DREAD CEO, Patrick Ewald, and Jeff Seemann. It is executive produced by Mary Beth McAndrews, Katie Page, and Cole Payne, owner of the genre label Traverse Terror.
Check out the first images from Bystanders here:
Bystanders is an independent production, and it does not fall under union jurisdiction. DREAD stands with SAG and the WGA.
ABOUT EPIC PICTURES
Founded in 2007, Epic Pictures is an independent content studio with the mission of delivering the best-in-class genre entertainment “for fans, by fans.” Epic Pictures produces, finances, and distributes approximately twenty-thirty independent genre films a year. In 2013, the company established Epic Pictures Releasing, which is its US-focused distribution division. In 2017, Epic Pictures acquired the world’s most popular horror website, Dread Central, and launched its unique horror label, Dread, followed by its AVOD channel, DreadTV. In 2019, Epic Pictures started the horror gaming site, DreadXP with a focus on editorial, reviews, podcasts, and original streaming content. In 2020, DreadXP began a video game production and publishing division in collaboration with some of the most innovative developers in the independent gaming space.
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