Dread plot recap, spoiler-light
At a small college, film major Stephen Grace teams up with an intensely unstable student named Quaid to conduct a fear study for a school project. Quaid, traumatized by witnessing his parents' murder by an axe murderer as a child, wants to record people discussing their deepest fears to find a way to conquer his own terror. They recruit Stephen's friend Cheryl as an editor.
As the interviews progress, subjects reveal harrowing personal traumas, from childhood abuse to agoraphobia. Quaid becomes increasingly unhinged and aggressive, particularly after dismissing a subject who claimed to be fearless. Tensions mount when Quaid destroys their recording equipment, prompting both Cheryl and Stephen to cut ties with him.
Unbeknownst to them, Quaid's obsession has pushed him past the breaking point, and he begins executing his own horrific experiments on the participants. He lures Joshua, who fears losing his hearing, and Abby, who is insecure about her birthmark, into his sadistic web. Abby is publicly humiliated by leaked footage, leading her to severe self-harm, while Joshua is brutally targeted by Quaid.
