New Zealand has given the world many interesting things: the Haka, pavlova (whether, as an Aussie, I like to admit that or not), Hobbits (via England and Middle-earth), Split Enz/Crowded House. kiwis and, of course, sheep jokes for Australians. But they've also produced many great films, like The Piano, Once Were Warriors, Whale Rider and, of course, again The Lord of the Rings. Then in 2015 came one (literally) devilishly entertaining entry into that pantheon: the death metal horror comedy Deathgasm.
Meet Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), the new kid in town. After his crack-addicted mother is sent to the nuthouse, he's thrown in with his bible-bashing uncle, aunt and cousin who immediately ostracise him for his love of metal. Not even seeing the gorgeous Medina (Kimberley Crossman) can shake his contempt for his new environment... until, at the local music store Alien Records, he meets Zakk (James Blake), a fellow headbanger who happily has the social skills of Ted Bundy.
Brodie and Zakk now join forces with their equally outcast mates Dion (Sam Berkeley) and Giles (Daniel Cresswell) to form a band, Deathgasm, and then find some sheet music they commit to playing. But this music should've stayed hidden, for it summons an ancient demon which curses the whole town. Now our thrashing foursome must save the day.
Consider yourself forewarned (if necessary): if you're a feminist or even mildly religious, do not watch this one. And it's obviously not one for the kids either, based on the gore alone; it could make even George A. Romero run to the toilet. But that's just the point, and I can think of nothing stupider than expecting subtlety from a death metal horror comedy.
First-time writer-director Jason Lei Howden clearly loves those three genres and he melds both them and their different mediums with a take-no-prisoners approach which fits like a glove, and under all the fake blood and guts, he sneaks in a very sincere condemnation of exlusive modern New Zealand society, and quite relatable character dynamics.
To top it all off, the young leads all have a bundle of fun with their performances even while they get drowned in all manner of shit, the make-up and visual effects are very effective in a deliberately tacky way and Howden also embellishes it with several fresh animated sequences. Deathgasm is shameless, gleeful, relentless, headstrong and authentic, but best of all: it truly never gives a FUCK what you think of it.
Meet Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), the new kid in town. After his crack-addicted mother is sent to the nuthouse, he's thrown in with his bible-bashing uncle, aunt and cousin who immediately ostracise him for his love of metal. Not even seeing the gorgeous Medina (Kimberley Crossman) can shake his contempt for his new environment... until, at the local music store Alien Records, he meets Zakk (James Blake), a fellow headbanger who happily has the social skills of Ted Bundy.
Brodie and Zakk now join forces with their equally outcast mates Dion (Sam Berkeley) and Giles (Daniel Cresswell) to form a band, Deathgasm, and then find some sheet music they commit to playing. But this music should've stayed hidden, for it summons an ancient demon which curses the whole town. Now our thrashing foursome must save the day.
Consider yourself forewarned (if necessary): if you're a feminist or even mildly religious, do not watch this one. And it's obviously not one for the kids either, based on the gore alone; it could make even George A. Romero run to the toilet. But that's just the point, and I can think of nothing stupider than expecting subtlety from a death metal horror comedy.
First-time writer-director Jason Lei Howden clearly loves those three genres and he melds both them and their different mediums with a take-no-prisoners approach which fits like a glove, and under all the fake blood and guts, he sneaks in a very sincere condemnation of exlusive modern New Zealand society, and quite relatable character dynamics.
To top it all off, the young leads all have a bundle of fun with their performances even while they get drowned in all manner of shit, the make-up and visual effects are very effective in a deliberately tacky way and Howden also embellishes it with several fresh animated sequences. Deathgasm is shameless, gleeful, relentless, headstrong and authentic, but best of all: it truly never gives a FUCK what you think of it.
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