Jason Lei Howden makes his feature film debut with the utterly insane Deathgasm, a gnarly horror film with a heavy metal pulse and a glorious dose of the red stuff. It’s a simple story about a couple of metal heads who unwittingly summon demonic forces that take over their town. Cut from the same cloth as films like The Evil Dead and Night of the Demons, Howden’s Deathgasm is a thrasher of a horror movie that only wants to be one thing—brutal as fuck.
It takes a special kind of director to pull off a movie like Deathgasm, because while it’s most certainly 90 minutes of gut-shredding insanity, there’s a powerful message buried under all of that carnage—embrace the weird and don’t be afraid to like something that other people don’t understand. It’s a wonderful, kick ass message that comes to life thanks to group of relatable kids at the center of mayhem, going from being bullied at school to humanity’s heroes over night. Howden’s film gives these wonderfully weird kids a world to thrive in, and it’s one that allows them be as badass as they’ve always dreamed of by surrounding them in heavy metal and horrors from another world. It doesn’t get much more badass than that.
Destroying demons to the tune of heavy metal is such appropriate fit for the genre that it’s hard to believe we don’t see it more often. In fact, I’d say that Deathgasm is the movie to beat in this department; it’s just that good. And by being so deeply rooted in heavy metal, Howden had to create a story that could match the same intensity, otherwise it just wouldn’t work. And that’s what makes this movie so special—it becomes this brutal, head-banging brand of horror that blends the heaviest of heavy metal with buckets of blood and a body count that will leave your head spinning.
And as if being a totally hyper violent, badass little movie wasn’t enough, Deathgasm is absolutely hilarious, too. The film’s humor is what ties it all together, matching its savage tale of a town possessed by demons with a wonderful level of absurdity and style that makes beating a demon to death with a dildo way cooler than it ever should be. What more is there to say? Deathgasm is a lot like being at the center of a mosh pit—it’s bloody, violent, and a shit load of fun.
4/5
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This looks fricken awesome … Glad it lives up to the trailer!
It was so fucking great, man. One of the best, most entertaining movies I saw at the Stanley Film Fest.
Can’t wait till its out in Australia!! Looks awesome 🙂
Can’t wait for you to see it!
YES!!! YES!!! (Makes devil horns)
It’s so good man! A purely kickass film.
I hate heavy metal but I’d watch this, it looks good.
It’s definitely very influenced by metal music, but it’s a fantastic horror film in its own right. You’ll dig it, whether you like the music or not.
*giggles* This looks like “Todd and the Book of Pure Evil”, only “Deathgasm” is “Todd”‘s bigger, badder cousin. I’m def down for checking this one out – looks like a majorly bloody good time!
I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying the absolute shit out of this movie, it’s just too much fun!
Nice review man. Pretty sure some of the same crew behind Housebound are involved in this, so dead keen. It’s playing a festival I’m going to in June, so will hopefully catch it there.
Thanks! Yeah, same producers and what not worked on this one so you know it’s a gem. Definitely don’t miss it at your festival, it’s so much fun.
Ever since you posted the teaser for this I have been ever so curious about it. So glad it lives up to the hype! This sounds like a great f**king time. Great review Ryan
Thanks! It was easily one of my favorite movies of the festival and hands down the most entertaining. Great flick and super bloody!
“…embrace the weird and don’t be afraid to like something that other people don’t understand.” – Thank goodness! So over movies portraying anyone listening to metal as a weirdo or a Satanist.
As a metalhead, I am looking forward to this. It looks like it has the potential to tick many boxes for me 😀
You’re going to love the shit out of this movie Zoe. A total blast from beginning to end, all to the tune of heavy metal.