By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Over a decade ago, a crazy comedy completely subverted the horror genre with a tale of two metal-loving meatheads who unleash demons with the power of their music. The film was a critical darling, but most movie lovers (including hardcore horror fiends) have never even heard of it.
Fortunately, you’ve got your own backstage pass. All you have to do is stream Deathgasm on Prime Video to experience all of the grindhouse glory for yourself.
Metal, Monsters, and Mayhem (Oh, My!)
The premise of Deathgasm is that two teenage metalheads in a tiny town become friends and start their own band. Soon, they come into possession of the Black Hymn, sheet music that can summon terrifying demons into the world. Once they decide to play the satanic song, they are caught between two equally scary forces: macabre monsters straight out of hell and a creepy cult who will stop at nothing to obtain the Black Hymn for themselves.
The cast of Deathgasm is obscure but seriously talented, including Milo Cawthorne (best known outside this movie for Guns Akimbo) as a rebellious teen whose family’s staunch Christian beliefs put a serious damper on his rock’n’roll lifestyle. Meanwhile, James Joshua Blake (best known outside this movie for the TV show Top of the Lake) plays his buddy, a fellow metalhead whose desire to rock often gets him in trouble. Kimberley Crossman (best known for the TV show Creamier) plays a perky love interest who might just help save the day…assuming, of course, that she doesn’t split the band up first!
One Killer Directorial Debut
Special credit also goes to Jason Lei Howden for making such an explosively original feature-length directorial debut. He would later go on to create the deliciously insane Guns Akimbo (the frequently-memed movie where Daniel Radcliffe has guns permanently attached to him), but that movie’s off-kilter sensibilities can’t hold a candle to the manic, metal mayhem of Deathgasm.
This is a movie where our heroes use a comically huge adult toy to tear off a demon’s jaw from the inside. Afterwards, pretty much nothing else in cinema compares to this splattery scene of sex toy slaughter.
Deathgasm is the ultimate heavy metal tribute to horror, and it struck a major chord with critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a rating of 88 percent, with critics praising the movie for being the stylized epitome of gory grindhouse glee. They also applauded the movie’s comedic sensibilities and the sheer amount of demented humor that fills every frame of this sexy fear fest.
Deathgasm 2: Sometimes, They Come Again
After the show-stopping climax of Deathgasm, critics and fans alike couldn’t stop demanding an encore. Director Jason Lei Holden announced production of a sequel called Deathgasm Part 2: Goremageddon, one he promised would have more blood in the first 10 minutes than Deathgasm had in its entire runtime.
The New Zealand Film Commission rejected his film in 2021, killing the production, However, Howden launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2023, earning enough money (it had a goal of $300,000 and made over $325,000 ) to bring his gory vision to life.
That sequel doesn’t have a wide release date yet, but it has already dazzled fans at Fantastic Fest and Splat! FilmFest International Fantastic Film Festival. I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but I’ll be riding the rails to watch this blood-drenched sequel as soon as it hits theaters or streaming. Either way, I can’t wait to check out a follow-up to a film that combines some of the best things in life: sex, demons, and rock’n’roll!
Will you agree that Deathgasm is the most refreshingly nasty and unabashedly weird film in horror comedy history, or is this one metal-loving movie you’d rather see die in the pit? You won’t know until you put down your guitar, pick up the remote, and jam out with this movie on Prime Video.
Beneath all the buckets of blood and the pile of demonic corpses dispatched by everything from chainsaws to marital aids, you’ll find an unforgettably passionate film that’s never afraid to wear its heart (and other internal organs) on its sleeve.