Deathgasm

New Zealand 2015
produced by
Andrew Beattie, Sarah Howden, Morgan Leigh Stewart, Ant Timpson (executive), Hamza Ali (executive) for New Zealand Film Commission, MPI Media Group, Timpson Films
directed by Jason Lei Howden
starring Milo Cawthorne, James Blake, Kimberley Crossman, Sam Berkley, Daniel Cresswell, Delaney Tabron, Stephen Ure, Colin Moy, Jodie Rimmer, Nick Hoskins-Smith, Erroll Shand, Kate Elliott, Aaron McGregor, Andrew Laing, Tim Foley, Cameron Rhodes
written by Jason Lei Howden, visual effects by Darwin Go, Johnathan Guest, Michael A. Miller, prosthetics by Andrew Beattie

review by
Mike Haberfelner

Being forced to live with his overly Christian uncle (Colin Moy) and aunt (Jodie Rimmer) in some shithole village in nowhere, New Zealand, heavy metal music is indeed Brodie's (Milo Cawthorne) only refuge, and it's hardly surprising that he, the bullied outsider at school, soon becomes best friends with Zakk (James Blake), the only other metalhead in town. Soon he and two nerds from school, Dion (Sam Berkley) and Giles (Daniel Cresswell) start a heavy metal band ... and hey, even the school beauty Medina (Kimberly Crossman) starts to show interest in Brodie, so suddenly life couldn't be better - until of course disaster strikes and Brodie's own cousin beats him up badly because he considers Medina his girl ... while Zakk tells Medina Brodie's not interested and makes out with her. Brodie's so enraged that he persuades his bandmates to perform a certain song he and Zakk have stolen from a legendary rocker (Stephen Ure) - and only Brodie knows that the song just might be the Black Hymn, a song that might bring great power ... but also turn those in listening distance into demons - and the latter the song certainly does, and soon enough the neighbourhood is full of blood-spitting with a predilection for ripping humans apart. Sure, the Church have long known of the Black Hymn, but it's up to powerhungry forces within the Church to botch up every attempt to rescue even a single soul, and with Zakk being a bit on the flakey side whether to save anyone or watch them all die it's up to Brodie to come up with a plan to save "his" city and his own ass ... oh, and to win back Medina of course.

Deathgasm is pretty much as irresponsible as the music it's based on - and in a good way: The film just speeds away take-no-prisoner style, throws good taste and subtlety out of the window, and manages to be surprisingly inventive in scenes you don't expect it to be. Now sure, not all of the humour avoids being overly blunt, not all of the story is wholly original, and some of it you have probably seen better before - but that hardly happens when watching, as the movie's totally entertaining throughout with hardly a dull moment in sight!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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