Bystanders

Edit: I had to go back a rewatch this. This movie stuck to me not because it was good, but because it was poorly executed and it bugged me. I took away my 7 stars and put 2 because that's really what it is. I still agree with what I said before, but this is not a good movie unfortunately. It fails on a lot of levels. Maybe they will learn next time.

Best part about the film is the frat boys, especially the redhead guy. He's the only reason I managed to stick around. Plot is very basic. Lighting could have been better, it looks like it was lit if that makes sense. Film pacing is a little too fast at the beginning, immediately diving into meeting the Dexter wannabe couple. They had their moments but had very dragged on monologues. The Gray character couldn't find a middle ground of being believable. One moment he's bland the next moment he is yelling RAGE for no reason. It's slow in the middle and finally picks up when the other frat boy shows up. Best kill was the ending kill. I would have liked to hear his actual scream, if he actually did. Film overall is okay if you enjoy this type of sub genre.

Feminine rage and vindication from the minds of women will always be superior. Every moment of Bystanders has that. It doesn't miss a beat. Emotions? High. Revenge? So sweet. And the breaks in between are filled with a good amount of humor that stems from a nifty twist on behalf of our protagonists.

The feeling that I got growing up when discovering horror movies is the same feeling that I got while watching this. I still hold those horror movies close, and I'm going to hold Bystanders close.

So much appreciation goes out to director, Mary Beth McAndrews, for envisioning an organically dark and justified film from Jaime Alvey's (who also stars as Clare) story that holds so much truth as well as power.

Heck yeah, ladies!

Expecting a rather generic plot, I got surprised. Four frat boys have invited three young women to a party at their cabin in the woods. When they arrive, they expected more women, but was told they were delayed. So their drinks get drugged and they get assaulted. Waking up, they are told there is going to be a hunt, and they have a 60 second head start. Two are quickly killed (off camera). Abby manages to run further, and comes across a couple, Gray and Clare, who are coming back from a wedding. She pleads for help, and they offer to help her. While all three of them are by the car, the frat boys catch up, and decide they will have fun with all of them. Getting distracted, Clare and Abby manage to escape into the woods. Clare tells Abby that if she sticks with her, she will be protected. And Gray is tougher than he looks. And this is where the movie really becomes fun. There is a certain levity and chemistry between Clare and Gray, as they certainly have fun in what they do. Yes, it is low budget, the blood is not that convincing, but their methods certainly are 'delicious'. It simply was a nice change from what I expected.

Okay, so it's a good premise with a bad production value. But what makes the movie is Garrett Murphy's Gray. That dude killed his role. And I'm not just making a stupid dad pun here.

The acting is okay. The practical effects are passable, even though it's just blood. But what made the whole thing for me was watching Gray nonchallantly maul through all the stupid frat boys one by one as if he were taking drink preferences at his dinner party.

I'm definitely gonna check Garrett Murphy out in more roles, and here's hoping his roles are a lot like Gray. Cuz I think I could watch The Tales of Gray for at least four seasons.

The basic idea of this horror crime is good. But the execution is far from good. There's not enough music to help build the horror. A simple audio can go a long way. Besides, there's a problem with how some scenes were being dragged out for too long. My guess is without those unnecessary long scenes, this movie would've been less than an hour. I don't think that the acting is the main problem. The directing was the one ruining the movie. It's true that some of the actors couldn't act very well, but most of them are due to bad directions. I don't recommend this one, even if you're a fan of revenge themed movies.