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[Review] BRUTE 1976 (2025)

Doc Rotten

Cinephobia Releasing is proud to announce the release of director Marcel Walz’s (That’s A Wrap, Pretty Boy) and writer Joe Knetter’s (George A. Romero’s Twilight of the Dead) latest feature Brute 1976. The film is now available on VOD, digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, and YouTube Movies.

”Brute 1976 is bloody and sexy, with a deranged family so demented they make John Waters’s Pink Flamingos look like a paradigm of family values,” said Cinephobia President Raymond Murray. “Brute 1976 restored my faith in horror that shocks.”

An homage to ‘70s horror cult classics The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Brute 1976 takes place in 1976, when Raquel and her girlfriend have car trouble and break down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. At the same time, a group of people are in the desert for a photoshoot. Soon, they stumble upon an abandoned town where a family of masked psychopaths reside.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes, both the originals and remakes” said Walz. “Brute 1976 was an amazing experience to shoot: It was hot, it was dirty and it was bloody. I’m sure the audience will feel that on screen.”

“We are so excited to have Brute 1976, our modern take on the 70s horror films we love so much, in the hands of Cinephobia for it’s North American release”, said Knetter. “We look forward to everyone experiencing the Birdy family in all their gory glory.”

Director Marcel Walz (Blind, Pretty Boy, Jurassic Reborn)

Written by: Joe Knetter

CAST: Adriane McLean (Roxy), Sarah French (Sunshine), Gigi Gustin (Raquel), Dazelle Yvette (Mama Birdy) with Adam Bucci, Alex Dundas, Robert Felsted Jr., Mark Justice, Ben Kaplan, and more

SYNOPSIS: In 1976 a group of people in the desert for a photo shoot stumble upon an abandoned town called Savage. But they are not alone. A family of masked psychopaths have claimed Savage as their own and are hell bent on living up to its name.