If Tenacious D and Evil Dead II had a headbanging, blood-soaked baby that grew up in small-town New Zealand, its name would be Deathgasm. Directed by Jason Lei Howden, this gloriously unhinged 2015 horror-comedy is a love letter to heavy metal, friendship, and the fine art of accidentally summoning demons because you couldn’t think of a better band name.
It’s gory, it’s loud, it’s heartfelt in that awkward-teen way — and it absolutely rips.
Welcome to Greypoint, Population: Repressed and Possessed
Our hero, Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), is your typical metalhead misfit: eyeliner, Slayer shirts, and social skills that died sometime during puberty. After his mom’s institutionalized, Brodie is shipped off to live with his God-fearing Uncle Albert — a man who probably thinks Judas Priest is an actual priest. At school, he’s bullied by jocks, humiliated by his cousin, and treated like a cautionary tale by everyone else.
Enter Zakk (James Blake), a fellow metal disciple with glorious hair and a bad attitude. He’s the kind of guy your parents warn you about — and then call the police on when your dad’s car goes missing. Together, they form Deathgasm (stylized in the film as “DEATHGASM” because lowercase letters are for posers).
Soon they’re joined by fellow outcasts Dion and Giles — think Dungeons & Dragons nerds who just discovered Satan — and decide to record music so heavy it might actually open a portal to Hell. Spoiler: it does.
The Black Hymn: Because Every Band Needs a Dumb Idea
Our heroes stumble across some mysterious sheet music hidden inside a record from washed-up metal legend Rikki Daggers (Stephen Ure, giving “Ozzy Osbourne meets Gollum” energy). Naturally, instead of realizing that ancient music written in blood is never a good sign, they decide to play it.
Because why wouldn’t you?
Within minutes, all hell literally breaks loose. Townsfolk start vomiting black goo, tearing off their clothes, and going full Linda Blair at Sunday brunch. Brodie’s Uncle Albert becomes possessed — which, honestly, just makes him more relatable — and soon Greypoint looks like a heavy metal album cover come to life.
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if your garage band triggered the apocalypse between math class and dinner, this movie’s your answer.
Gore, Gags, and Guitar Solos
One of the best things about Deathgasm is that it never once apologizes for being ridiculous. Howden directs like a man possessed by both Sam Raimi and a 14-year-old who just discovered Iron Maiden. The film gleefully splatters blood across every frame, balancing slapstick chaos with surprisingly clever craftsmanship.
Heads roll, chainsaws roar, demons scream, and every possible object becomes a weapon — including, memorably, a pair of… adult toys. Let’s just say this movie takes the phrase “battle of the bands” to very literal and very NSFW extremes.
Yet for all its outrageousness, the film has a sincerity that makes it endearing rather than obnoxious. The gore is cartoonish, the humor juvenile in the best way, and the practical effects are delightfully over-the-top. It’s like watching Ash vs. Evil Dead on a sugar high.
Brodie and Zakk: Bromance in Blood
At its core — underneath the entrails, riffs, and satanic sigils — Deathgasm is a coming-of-age story about friendship, betrayal, and learning how to be your authentic, demon-summoning self.
Brodie is the awkward dreamer who believes in metal as salvation; Zakk is the leather-clad chaos agent who believes in nothing but noise. Together, they’re the yin and yang of teenage rebellion — right up until Zakk kisses Brodie’s crush, Medina (Kimberley Crossman, giving “girl-next-door who could totally survive the apocalypse” vibes).
The fallout between the two gives the movie a surprising emotional heartbeat. Beneath the corpse paint and decapitations, there’s a genuine story about loyalty, forgiveness, and growing up — even if “growing up” involves stabbing a demon through the eye with a battle axe while screaming the chorus of your own song.
By the time Zakk sacrifices himself to save the town, you might actually find yourself tearing up — or maybe that’s just the fake blood on your popcorn.
Medina: Slayer of Stereotypes (and Possibly Demons)
Speaking of Medina, let’s take a moment to appreciate one of the best-written girlfriends in modern horror-comedy.
She starts off as the stereotypical small-town beauty, dating the local bully and hanging with the pastel crowd. But when the apocalypse hits, she doesn’t run screaming — she picks up a weapon and joins the band. By the end, she’s covered in blood, swinging axes, and headbanging like she’s been waiting her whole life for this.
In a lesser movie, she’d be reduced to a damsel or comic relief. Here, she’s the MVP — the Nancy from A Nightmare on Elm Street for the Hot Topic generation.
The Metal: So Loud It Raises the Dead
You can’t talk about Deathgasm without mentioning the soundtrack — a thunderous mix of death metal, thrash, and black metal that could probably summon something unpleasant if you played it backward.
Howden’s love for the genre drips from every riff and drum blast. The music isn’t just background noise; it’s the movie’s beating, bleeding heart. In this world, metal isn’t evil — it’s freedom. It’s the voice of every kid who’s ever been told to turn it down, get a haircut, or stop wearing eyeliner to Sunday school.
If School of Rock taught us to embrace our inner rebel, Deathgasm teaches us to blast that rebellion at max volume while covered in demon entrails.
Small Town, Big Apocalypse
Part of the film’s charm lies in its setting. Greypoint isn’t just small — it’s aggressively ordinary, the kind of place where “rebellion” means getting a tattoo of a skull instead of a sheep.
The contrast between this quiet suburbia and the demonic mayhem makes everything funnier. Watching a possessed elderly neighbor rip out a lawn gnome and beat someone with it is, frankly, cinematic gold.
It’s as if Peter Jackson’s early splatter films (Braindead, Bad Taste) got a glow-up for the YouTube generation.
The Final Act: Metal Saves the World
As Brodie and his crew fight through cultists, demons, and heartbreak, the movie crescendos into a gloriously ridiculous finale. Brodie doesn’t just fight evil — he shreds it.
When the ancient Black Hymn can’t be reversed, Brodie does the only logical thing: he plays metal so loud, so raw, that it drives the demonic entity back to Hell. It’s the most absurdly beautiful thing you’ll ever see — a power chord exorcism, a headbanging act of redemption.
Zakk’s sacrifice is pure metal martyrdom, and Brodie’s final scene with Medina hits the perfect note: bloody, sweet, and still a little stupid.
And then, just when you think it’s over, Zakk’s voice echoes from beyond the grave through a record player — proof that true friendship (and good metal) never dies.
Why Deathgasm Rules (and You Should Watch It)
In an era where horror-comedies often feel manufactured or ironic, Deathgasm stands out by wearing its black heart proudly on its studded sleeve. It’s self-aware but not smug, violent but not mean-spirited, and funny without ever sneering at its own premise.
Jason Lei Howden’s direction blends the anarchic spirit of 1980s splatter films with genuine affection for his characters and their weird little world. You can feel the DIY energy — the blood, sweat, and probably a few accidental guitar injuries — that went into making it.
And somehow, beneath the carnage, there’s a strangely wholesome message: be yourself, even if “yourself” happens to be a corpse-painted teenager who accidentally triggered the apocalypse.
Final Verdict
Deathgasm is loud, messy, heartfelt, and absolutely metal to the bone. It’s a hymn to every misfit who ever dreamed of escaping suburbia through power chords and bad decisions.
It’s not just a movie — it’s a mood, a middle finger, and a mosh pit all rolled into one.
Final Score: 9/10
A wickedly funny, blood-soaked love letter to heavy metal and horror. Guaranteed to melt your face off, resurrect it, and then headbang with it.
