We really don’t have enough films that flip an age-old genre trope of women being menaced by men.
Director Mary Beth McAndrews’ Bystanders, isn’t so much a role reversal, but a middle finger to the patriarchy and everything it stands for.
Things begin in a fairly standard manor, horror-wise, as we see a girl being chased by a number of fratboys, but after rewinding 18 hours we find out everything is not what it seems.
Strap yourselves in folks, because this film goes dark and fast. McAndrews does not waste time with too much exposition as the audience is in quite familiar territory.
Our script is flipped when a couple, who are also vigilantes of justice come into the mould as our group of girls is hunted by this demented group of fratboys. While it may have been easy to add a shred of sympathy to our male antagonists, this isn’t that type of film.
These guys are scum and that’s how they will also be seen on-screen. It’s quite refreshing to see a film fully commit to the piece and not add sympathy to those who truly don’t warrant it.
McAndrews does add some extremely dark comedy to the mix, and gives Bystanders layers you may not have expected going in.
Bystanders is the angry feminist horror we need in 2025, where sadly it’s never felt more needed.
Bystanders screened as part of Sohome Horror Pride 2025.
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