Jay Rohr
Brute 1976 takes a whack at being a quality throwback. Wearing its inspirations like a skin suit, this fright flick borrows a page or three from old school scary movies. There is an attempt to tell its own story, however, this homage homunculus barely bleeds let alone leads to anything interesting.
The story follows a group out into the desert on a pinup photo shoot in the 1970s. When they stop in what is essentially a ghost town junkyard, the assorted members wander off into unwitting encounters with the local homicidal residents. The population of this place is essentially a bloodthirsty cult in various horrific disguises. Panic, a degree of brutality, twists, and terror then ensue leaving a final individual alive to contend with the cultists.
On paper, all the parts are there for an interesting story. Brute 1976 never makes a case that it’s trying to forge into new territory. This is supposed to be an old school fright flick indicative of features like The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Those inspirations can clearly be seen on certain occasions. It would be nice, though, if such homages did something other than indicate the filmmakers have seen the aforementioned movies.
One could argue some of the messages in Brute 1976 are meant to embrace contemporary notions. However, the monologue that dumps these ideas feels forced, arriving like a bad twist that makes no sense. At risk of implicative spoilers, Brute 1976 features a lot of what could be considered the “bury your gays” trope. This harkens back to a tendency to murder or make villains out of characters who display LGBTQ+ characteristics. The thing is, Brute 1976 then tries to sloppily subvert this notion when explaining the cult’s motivations.
The movie wants to make an interesting critical statement about the contemporary United States. Not to mention its history. After all, 1976 is a reference to the nation’s bicentennial. The ideas trying to be conveyed by writer Joe Knetter, who helped pen George A. Romero’s upcoming Twilight of the Dead, don’t have the delivery they need to land effectively. It’s unfortunate because these could have been intriguing notions to explore, especially in the context of horror.
Audiences can decide for themselves how much to accept the rationalization of what occurs. The main problem with the picture is how clunkily it’s included. Brute 1976 is further hobbled by uninteresting characters who barely have any reason for their actions let alone compelling viewers to care. The various roles seem more like fodder for slaughter setups than people. There’s no narrative stake in the story or characters for anything to really matter.
Still, a scary movie can entertain so long as the kills are satisfying. In that respect, Brute 1976 is a mixed bag. Some of the slaughter is gloriously gruesome. There is one scene mangling part of a male member of the photo shoot that ranks up there with a similar mutilation in Porno (2019). Many of the other kills are just people screaming and getting fake blood sprayed in their face. While one could argue these are reminiscent of 70s style slasher elements, such kills come across as tame rather than entertaining horror.
The killers themselves are an assortment of Halloween masks and low budget cosplay. There’s a teasing notion that on paper they probably came across as scarier. Production design, perhaps due to the limits of a small purse, prevented them from reaching their full potential.
Moreover, the various slashers aren’t very interesting in their own right. These are cookie cutter killers under the direction of an uninspiring cult leader. Whatever personality they have is clearly derived from other sources. For instance, the very obvious Leatherface knockoff. Granted, there is a slim degree of delight trying to surmise if certain killers are cut from whole cloth or guess their individual inspirations, but it will hardly hold an audience rapt throughout the whole movie.
Brute 1976 is then left to rely on its cast to hold this rickety ship together. The movie stars Adriane McLean (Miracles of Christmas), Sarah French (Blind), Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Dazelle Yvette (Garden of Eden) and Adam Bucci (NCIS Los Angeles). Like most of the movie, this is another mixed bag.
Part of the problem is that performers aren’t given much to work with. Gigi Gustin could have offered a character people wanted to see survive, her struggle mixed with audience concern producing tension. However, her part quickly reduces to simply person screaming in terror. Robert Felsted Jr. (Holey Moley) provides something akin to comedic relief as Charlie. Meanwhile, Adriane McLean and Dazelle Yvette are central parts of the plot, yet have the least interesting material to work with. How such pivotal characters turned out bland is bizarre, and where exactly to lay the blame is hard to say.
The characterizations in Brute 1976 seem to be a failing of ideas that are interesting on paper not transferring from script to screen. There’s the oddball bus driver, damsel in distress, crazy cult leader, and final girl, but nothing else to really flesh them out in the feature. They’re clichéd cogs turning a hackneyed plot.
Brute 1976 has an interesting premise that neither the writer nor director Marcel Walz really seem to know what to do with it. Except for a few stand out slaughter setups, the kills aren’t very satisfying. The cast is never terrible, but the material they have to work with isn’t very captivating. Finally, the overall point the movie claims to be making feels lazily executed.
The sad thing is there’s a good movie in here. It just isn’t on the screen. Though the bad kills outweigh the good, there’s enough visceral gore to please horror fans desperate for a new fright flick. That isn’t to say Brute 1976 will end up in any audience’s top twenty. After all, the middle is neither good nor terrible. While there are far worse, there are far better horror movies too.
Brute 1976 has secured a limited theatrical release at the following cities and theater locations with more markets and premieres to be announced:
Laemmle Glendale – Los Angeles, CA – August 26, 2025
Premiere Laemmle Glendale – Los Angeles, CA – August 29 and 30, 2025
Alamo Drafthouse – Indianapolis, IN – opens August 29, 2025
