Brute 1976 - Review

This summer Brute 1976 aims to bring back the grimy, irreverent feel of grindhouse cinema to the big screen. With equal parts grittiness, messiness and uncouth gore, Brute 1976 is a clear aspirational throwback with a devotion and admiration for the heart of classic and beloved 1970s horror cinema, however, the question is, does Brute 1976 manage to live up to let alone exceed these high expectations…? 

Circa 1976, a motley crew of people head out into the lone, dusty desert for a photoshoot. Whilst searching for a payphone, they stumble across 'Savage', an abandoned ghost town. In hopes of taking a few extra scenic pictures in Badlands territory, they decide to venture deeper into the empty town of Savage, only to discover that the land is occupied by flesh-hungry, masked residents.

Director, Marcel Walz, followed by writer Joe Knetter, have openly affirmed their affinity towards seventies horror, with a particular fondness of genre staples, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974) and 'The Hills Have Eyes' (1977), followed by their subsequent remakes. These films are classic for a reason. As Walz and Knetter, along with a multitude of fans of these films would confirm, these features have a certain indescribable rawness to them. They offer unfiltered access into exaggerated, fictional backwoods of a war-ridden America where years of distrust and uproar become explored through the metaphor of rural monstrosity, civilization vs primitive and the notion of territory as threat, all sandwiched by the rotting of America and its freedom. Whilst allegorically daunting, what can also be easily attested to is how this genre crest was aesthetically envisioned.  

The premise of hot, sweaty, dirty, nitty gritty open spaces of deserted lands is what made these films thrive, and admittedly, Brute 1976 does a superb job at tackling this trope. The film has layer upon layer of visual symbolism running throughout, whether that's through the appearance of the desolate barren hamlet of Savage or through its cinematography that nails the grainy, sun-bleached vibe showing decrepit environments in a horrifying light. More so, the film also excels in its macabreness, where death and decay become so intrinsically tied to the entire stylisation and narrative that it might as well be the main character.  

Further touching upon the aesthetics of gore, Brute 1976 absolutely knows how to churn the stomachs of its viewer through the copious displays of pure unhinged, bloodied chaos. As the occupants of Savage unleash their, well, 'savagery', the film enters into complete torture territory, with the camera refusing to look away at even the most vomitious of scenes. Multiple incidents of bloodshed occur, however, one scene that has become since trapped in one's mind on a disturbing loop involves a mechanical drill, a glory hole and tonnes upon tonnes of exploding viscera!  

As evidenced, Brute 1976 does have a lot to admire, but it is not without its faults. There are a few faltering elements, such as the dialogue which at times does not just make the characters fall into total archetype territory, but it also makes them appear as shallow caricatures. Although this does lead to a few funny lines, audiences are more likely to laugh at the film, then with it. Leading with this point of contention, it could also be said that Brute 1976 does not feature any characters in which sympathy is dutifully aligned with. Anyone could die at any point and it would not matter. Having characters solely as movie meat can be a blast, but Brute 1976 could have benefited from having at least a mere handful of its many characters as actually likeable. That being said, the performers do the best with what they are given, particularly, Adriane McLean as Roxy and Sarah French as Sunshine.  

What amplifies this unfortunate shortcoming is the film's runtime. 1 hour and 45 minutes is not by any means a ludicrous amount of time, yet it is not suited to every film. By trimming the fat and keeping it quick and concise, the pace would have been niftier, the over exposition would have been limited, and any drawn-out, overplayed scenes would have been kept schtum enough to remain exciting and impactful.  

Despite any blemishes that Brute 1976 suffers from, the film allows for a basic level of enjoyment, where if you were to bypass the missed potential in certain areas, a good time filled with gnarly visuals and effective kills, can still be facilitated.  

Brute 1976 has secured a limited theatrical release, with the film currently opening in the below markets:  

Laemmle Glendale - Los Angeles, CA - 8/26 - Premiere 

Laemmle Glendale - Los Angeles, CA - 8/29 & 8/30 

Alamo Drafthouse - Indianapolis, IN - opens 8/29 

*more markets TBA 

Available on VOD on September 30th 2025.  

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