Review Day 13: Deathgasm (2015)
The horror/comedy is not always the easiest genre to get right, however is there any country that has proved they can do it and do it well more than New Zealand? With fantastic horror/comedies such as Braindead (1992), What We Do In The Shadows (2014), Black Sheep (2006) and Housebound (2014) just being a few that prove New Zealand are champions of the genre. It has always been an exciting subgenre for their film industry, and Deathgasm (2015) belongs right up there as another extremely fun and enjoyable horror/comedy.
The film takes place in a small a boring town of Greypoint where Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) gets sent to after his drug addicted mother gets sent away. He goes to live with his overly Christian Uncle (Colin Moy) and Aunt (Jodie Rimmer), and bully cousin David (Nick Hoskins-Smith). Brodie feels like the ultimate outcast as he doesn’t really fit in, being a hardcore metalhead and liking a girl at his school Medina (Kimberley Crossman) who happens to be dating his cousin. While trying to navigate through the bullying, Brodie meets fellow outcasts Dion (Sam Berkley) and Giles (Daniel Cresswell) and the trio get bullied together.
Things change for Brodie and his friends when he finds a record store in town and meets the only other metalhead in town badboy Zakk (James Blake). This new foursome decide to form a metal band called Deathgasm, a way to escape their lives and do something for themselves. Brodie’s adventures with Zakk eventually lead them to find a missing musican Rikki Daggers, during the counter they are given strange music pages, but little do they know playing the music called The Black Hymn will unleash a demon called Aeloth and wreck havoc on Greypoint.
Deathgasm takes inspiration from Braindead and the Evil Dead series, but plays to the beat of its own drum and forms something that is not only a gore fest but also a riot with laughs. The comedy never feels forced, it comes naturally and the actors sharing great chemistry and comedic timing just add to the fun. There are jokes and scenes ranging from awkward encounters to fighting demons with dildos, it doesn’t hold back at all and it’s all the better for it. Some parts are quite silly, but work within the context of the film, the side plot wasn’t the strongest part (a group trying to track down The Black Hymn) and it works best when the focus is on Brodie and his friends.
The cast all do a great job, with Milo Cawthorne being the heart and soul of the film along with Kimberley Corssman, and James Blake. The supporting cast are also really good and a lot of fun, whether they are covered in blood or navigating high school. It pays tribute to metal, and any hardcore fans like our main characters will appreciate the music and all the references. Deathgasm is plain and simple a really fun film, with lots of blood and laughs to satisfy all types of horror fans.
Writers note: I have decided not to mention the film’s director in this review, due to some actions he took earlier this year. I do not share his views or condone bullying/harassment that he actively took part in. Thank you.
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Review written by Marcella Papandrea
The Super Network 