Screened as part of NZIFF 2015

Deathgasm 2015

Directed by Jason Lei Howden

Two metalheads unleash a satanic riff that opens the gates of hell in this blood-splattered, heavy shredding comedy-horror. The winner of the Make My Horror Movie competition hits home shores after wowing audiences overseas.

86 minutes CinemaScope / DCP

Director, Screenplay

Executive producers

Ant Timpson
,
Greg Newman

Producers

Andrew Beattie
,
Morgan Leigh Stewart
,
Sarah Howden

Photography

Simon Raby

Editors

Jeff Hurrell
,
Gareth van Niekerk

Production designer

Jane Bucknell

Music

Dead Pirate

With

Milo Cawthorne (Brodie)
,
James Blake (Zakk)
,
Kimberley Crossman (Medina)
,
Sam Berkley (Dion)
,
Daniel Cresswell (Giles)
,
Delaney Tabron (Shanna)
,
Stephen Ure (Rikki Daggers)
,
Jodie Rimmer (Aunt Mary)
,
Colin Moy (Uncle Albert)

Festivals

SXSW 2015

Growing up can be hell, especially for a teenage metal fan in conservative, small-town New Zealand. Brodie (Milo Hawthorne) is shipped off to live with his Christian aunt and uncle in the middle of nowhere. They aren’t impressed with his love for the likes of Trivium and Cannibal Corpse. Things look up when he meets a like mind in bad boy Zakk (James Blake) and together they form a heavy metal band with a couple of D&D geeks. All hell, literally, breaks loose when the pair get their hands on an unrecorded song from their death metal idol. It soon becomes apparent why the song was never recorded, as everyone within earshot of their garage jam session is turned into demonic zombies. So it’s up to our head-banging heroes to, reluctantly, save the world from a satanic apocalypse. — MM

“Director Jason Lei Howden drenches it in enough spraying plasma to drown a demon and raise hysterical belly laughs. A Weta CGI effects guy by training, Howden goes practical-heavy for gory, glorious, ridiculous, and comedic effect. It also doesn’t hurt that he clearly knows his metal, mocking only what he loves. Shamelessly lowbrow, reaching a beer-fueled gleeful high with a zombie-vs-sex toys battle, it’s a very metal tribute to the grand tradition of Kiwi splatter comedies.” — Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle

Deathgasm is the real deal. Straight from the bowels of hell comes a metalhead’s wet dream, scored by some of the thrashiest New Zealand and international metal icons around. Fuck thumbs, this film gets two metal horns way, WAY up.” — Matt Donato, We Got This Covered