WFG RATING: A-

Dread presents an Epic Pictures/Traverse Terror production. Directed by Mary Beth McAndrews. Produced by Jeff Seemann. Written by Jamie Alvey. Cinematography by Chance Madison. Edited by Barry Rowen.

Stars Jamie Alvey, Garrett Murphy, Brandi Botkin, Bob Wilcox, Hannah Fierman, John Connors, Chaney Morrow, Mary Beth McAndrews, Callie Kirk, Eric Six, Deaton Gabbard, and Zach Hurley.

A young woman’s night is about to be turned upside down in this wild horror comedy from Mary Beth McAndrews.

Clare and Gray are a loving couple who are preparing to head out to a wedding rehearsal with Clare surprising Gray with the news that she’s expecting. Meanwhile, Abby and her friends are invited to a party in a cabin by her crush Cody and his fratboys. However, Abby soon learns that Cody and his band of merry men have something in store for the ladies. They drug, assault, and decide to hunt Abby for their own pleasure.

When Abby sees Clare and Grey, who are on their way back, they pick her up. When she tells her story of what has happened, the couple promises to protect Abby. And that is because they have a little secret of their own. They are serial killers and they decide to help Abby hunt down the boys one by one and unleash hell on them. 

Many people are going to see this as inspired by classics like Last House on the Left, The Honeymoon Killers, and No One Lives to name a few. However, what writer (and star) Jamie Alvey did was base the story on the 2016 case People v. Turner, in which Brock Turner had drugged and assaulted a woman, leading to a felony. It was like answering the simple question, “what would happen if people came to help stop a band of Brock Turners”. 

Alvey and co-star Garrett Murphy have such fun chemistry. The looks and attitude of the characters feels like a what if “Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite married Katie Otto from American Housewife”. That was the vibe I was getting, but it’s not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it just shows how much fun these two were having, even with them going all sadistic on the boys, unleashing mayhem on them in the gory goodness of violence. Alvey brings out the charm when she vows Abby that she and Gray would protect her at all costs. 

It is clear what Alvey and director Mary Beth McAndrews are going for and they succeed here. It is loads of fun seeing the various ways our ever-so-loving couple dispatch these skeezy Brock Turner wannabes. This is great seeing how this plays out, even when Abby finds her moral compass questioned at times. It will make you want to root for Clare and Gray, even if their methods are extremely unconventional. 

Bystanders is fun, wild, insane and loads of fun as a horror-comedy and a debut film for both Jamie Alvey and Mary Beth McAndrews. I for one, would be all in for a sequel should it happen! 

The film is now available on Demand and on Digital