No Real Danger

Deathgasm hits a high note (get it?) right from the opening credits. As metal assaults the viewer’s ears, the screen is covered in metal and mayhem themed doodles that animate gruesomely and/or hilariously. The little dude who shits out his own entrails is particularly gruesome/hilarious. As soon as I saw that, I texted The Wolfman to let him know that this was my new favorite movie. That assessment obviously had the odds stacked against it considering that I’d only seen about 2.5 minutes of the movie. Fortunately, the next 83.5 minutes of this Kiwi (that means New Zealander) blood and metal riot did not disappoint. (Side note – any feature film with a sub-90 minute runtime should be nominated for an Oscar by default.)

Brodie is a metalhead teen whose mom has been locked up for some transgressions committed during a nude meth bender. He’s a sweet kid but he looks like every uptight, suburban Christian’s nightmare. Unfortunately, his aunt and uncle are exactly that, and they’ve been appointed his new guardians. They have a son of their own, David, who is about Brodie’s age.  He looks like every uptight, suburban Christian’s dream, but acts like a huge fucking asshole. He’s particularly nasty to Brodie. At his new school, Brodie bonds with Dion and Giles, both victims of his cousin’s bullying. Brodie becomes infatuated with David’s girlfriend, Medina, and she is into him too (leading to one of the most hilariously awkward flirtations I’ve ever seen). David’s not super keen on this. Brodie meets Zakk, an IDGAF poster boy in a studded leather jacket and metal tee. They form a metal band with Dion and Giles and call it Deathgasm. After a string of shenanigans and mischief, Zakk and Brodie are entrusted with a cursed(?) composition (musical) by a mysteriously-lost-for-years metal icon. He does so to hide it from a murderous shadowy organization that is in relentless pursuit of the music. Oblivious, Deathgasm plays the music, causing everyone within earshot to become possessed and pluck their eyes out. FUCKING MAYHEM ENSUES. The boys and Medina hatch a plan to save the world. There are betrayals and reconciliations. There are heroics and evils. There are power tools and hulk hands. And there’s hilarity and gore. Lots and lots of gore!

THE FINAL CUT: Deathgasm is a supreme splatter comedy movie. The violence is so brilliantly over-the-top that you’ll find yourself laughing out loud in a “I can’t believe they did that!” way. And, perhaps surprisingly, teen fantasy and angst are handled with aplomb. I’m excited to see what director, Jason Lei Howden, will do next.