2015 | New Zealand | Directed by Jason Lei Howden
Logline: Two teenage metalheads form a band, summon an evil entity, and then attempt to reverse the demonic chaos they’ve unleashed.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to that quaint hospital soap opera, there’s a howl and a screech … nek minnit, a heavy metal demon snaps your funny bone and tears your soul asunder! All hail Deathgasm! \m/
Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), a slightly geeky heavy metal fan, befriends Zakk (James Blake), a cooler version of himself. With a couple of Dungeons and Dragons nerds, Dion (Sam Berkley) and Giles (Daniel Crewsswell) onboard they quickly form a band, Deathgasm, and with the lure of a black hymn promising power and fortune, Brodie leads them into a hell on earth after an ancient evil, The Blind One, is summoned.
It takes spunky love interest, Medina (Kimberley Crossman), to give Brodie some balls and take the demonic bull by the horns. But first there’s Aeon (Andrew Laing) and a horde of Satanic worshipers and all-round nasty motherfuckers to deal with first. There’ll be hell to pay, and there will be blood. Lots of it.
If you like your horror-comedy splattered from head to foot, a la Peter Jackson’s Braindead then you’ll love this decidedly Kiwi gore riot. Writer/director Howden, a visual effects whiz, has made his first feature, and it’s a bonza! Hilarious performances, with notable cameos from veterans Andrew Laing and Cameron Rhodes, crackingly funny dialogue, OTT cartoon gore gags, and enough metal references to keep the diehards happy.
It’s been a wicked period for New Zealand horror, with several ripsnorters over the past year. Deathgasm is best enjoyed in the cinema with a full house, all hooting and hollering along with the foul-mouthed, longhaired louts on screen. These are anti-heroes worth rooting for.
Might I add, Deathgasm would play very well after Housebound (another Ant Timpson-produced comic gem) in a comedy-horror double-bill. Keep that in mind a little further down the track when you’re wondering what crowd-pleasers are required for that pizza, beer and bullets night with the mates and sheilas at home.
Like I said, all hail Deathgasm! \m/
