BRUTE 1986 - Brings Glam Metal Mayhem in Bloody New Trailer as Cinephobia Releasing Acquires Slasher Sequel
Seth Metoyer | More Horror
Marcel Walz brings the murderous Birdy family back for another round of bloodshed, big hair, and '80s excess ahead of the film's Halloween world premiere.
Break out the hairspray, crank up the glam metal, and prepare for another bloodbath. Cinephobia Releasing has acquired North American and UK distribution rights to BRUTE 1986, the latest slasher from director Marcel Walz (Brute 1976, Anathema) and writer Joe Knetter (Twilight of the Dead, The Caretaker). Along with the acquisition announcement, the distributor has unveiled new key art and a blood-soaked trailer ahead of the film's world premiere at Tubi FrightFest Halloween on October 31, 2026.
The sequel picks up a decade after the carnage of Brute 1976, shifting its inspiration from the grimy exploitation horror of the 1970s to the outrageous slasher culture of the 1980s. Think Friday the 13th, Maniac, towering hair, leather pants, and enough fake blood to make an entire effects department reconsider its life choices.
This time, the story follows Leather Kobra, a glam metal band preparing to shoot its latest music video in an abandoned Western town. Unfortunately, the location has some rather unpleasant residents. The sadistic Birdy family has settled nearby, and when the band and its crew cross paths with them, the music video production quickly turns into a slaughterhouse.
Adding some genuine rock credentials to the production, Bill Kaulitz of Tokio Hotel joins the cast and contributes original music, while Swedish glam metal outfit Crazy Lixx also supplies music for the soundtrack. It's an appropriate combination for a film that seems determined to resurrect the glorious excess of the VHS era.
Returning cast members include Dazelle Yvette, Sarah French, and Gigi Gustin. Joining them are Lew Temple (The Devil's Rejects), Pancho Moler (3 from Hell), Sarah Kaplan, Heather Grace Hancock, and several additional faces destined for the Birdy family's particularly unpleasant brand of hospitality.
An '80s Slasher Made by Horror Fans
For Walz, the film represents something of a personal love letter to the decade that shaped his taste in horror.
"I'm an '80s baby- actually, a 1986 baby," Walz said in the official announcement, recalling his childhood obsession with films such as Halloween III, Friday the 13th Part VI, Sleepaway Camp II, The Burning, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4.
Writer Joe Knetter shares that enthusiasm for the era, describing the opportunity to combine the music and horror movies he grew up loving as an especially enjoyable creative experience.
Cinephobia Releasing President Ray Murray appears equally enthusiastic about the sequel, praising its outrageous combination of violence, sleaze, and glam rock spectacle. The distribution deal was negotiated between Murray and executive producers Tobias Schuermann and Dirk Schuermann.
With its deliberate embrace of practical gore, exploitation cinema, and heavy-metal aesthetics, BRUTE 1986 looks ready to give old-school slasher fans another helping of gloriously excessive horror. And really, when your band is filming in an abandoned Western town with a family of homicidal maniacs lurking nearby, the odds of finishing that music video were never particularly good.
BRUTE 1986 makes its world premiere October 31, 2026, at Tubi FrightFest Halloween in London. The film's new trailer and North American key art are available now.
