Brute 1976
“Brute 1976” is the kind of star-spangled bloodbath that’ll leave horror fans satisfied and hungry for more.
Marcel Walz’s “Brute 1976” is a blood-soaked homage to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes” that’s a perfect blend of nostalgia and grindhouse grit. It’s a primal reminder of why the slasher formula will never die.
“Brute 1976” is the tale of a group of creatives that head out to the desert with their All-Star photographer set to shoot a cover shot for a prominent magazine. Featured will be Roxy (Adriane McLean) and Raquel (GiGi Gustin). Everyone is in high spirits, especially their driver Charlie (Robert Felsted Jr.), who’s first introduced to us wearing a bong gas mask. But things quickly slide off the rails when Raquel and her girlfriend June (Bianca Jade Montalvo) fail to make their rendezvous with the group.
Unbeknown to the group, Raquel and June’s car broke down enroute to the shoot, and after a quick make out session in an abandoned mine, our duo are seized upon by a menacing monster wearing a hellish mask.
Trying to locate their missing friends, Sunshine (Sarah French) and Charlie head off in search of a phone and stumble on an abandoned roadside town named “Savage.” They find one, but the line is dead and as they jam tunes and head back to the rest of the group, they miss a chained and bloodied Raquel chasing after their van.
Not wanting the opportunity of capturing their highly talked about cover, Roxy, Jordy (Adam Bucci) and the rest of the group decide to carry on. Sunshine will stand in for Raquel and things go off without a hitch. But as they pack their gear, Sunshine mentions the town of Savage and lures Jordy there with the promise of an abundance of photographic opportunities.
I’m not sure about you, but if I’m in the middle of the desert with two friends missing, the last place I’m going to seek refuge in is a town named Savage. Call me old fashioned I guess. But we’re in a grindhouse universe so they quickly decide to explore to hopefully get some more images for the magazine and have some fun.
As with all great horror movies, and in spite of conventional logic, the group ultimately splits up to explore this desert oasis of Savage and stumble upon Mama Birdy (Dazelle Yvette) who states she purchased the roadside town in hopes of revitalizing it for a tourist attraction. But we can quickly tell that something is not quite right with Mama Birdy or with the town itself.
As our group separates and characters begin meeting gruesome fates from the get-go, most notably Ray (Mark Justice) who decides to indulge in a glory hole with disastrous consequences. I can guarantee you if you’re a male watching this movie, this is a scene that’s gonna stick with you for a little bit. It’s disturbing, bloody and intense.
As they’re picked off one by one, we discover that one character is secretly in love with another as they fight desperately to survive, while a third has been working with Mama Birdy and her collection of deranged delinquents. When it appears that Roxy is the last person standing after a failed escape, she’s brought before Mama Birdy and crew and offered up a chance to join the family.
“Brute 1976” ends with lovers reunited and a landscape painted with blood. I loved it.
What works so well in this film is it’s unapologetic about trying to recapture the essence and pays heavy homage to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes.” We also get a nice scene that calls back to a fun scene in the original “Scream” film. It’s a fun, bloody flick that does just about everything right and should leave fans satisfied.
And when I say just about everything works, I mean it. The acting is surprisingly good, the music and cinematography are top-notch and Katy Jacobs' makeup and Robert Kern’s special effects work is to be commended. The first thing I did after the credits started to roll was message multiple friends telling them they needed to check “Brute 1976” out as quickly as they could. While it doesn’t break any new ground, it showcases the talents of a collective of creatives that really blew me away.
This was my first encounter with Walz’s work, but I can guarantee you it won’t be my last. Along with screenwriter Joe Knetter, the duo delivers up so much grindhouse goodness and chaos, I’m stunned I’ve not heard of their work before.
“Brute 1976” is the kind of star-spangled bloodbath that’ll leave horror fans satisfied and hungry for more. It’s pure grindhouse perfection.