Deathgasm

You kind of know going in that a movie titled Deathgasm is unlikely to be deeply cerebral—unless we're talking about heads rolling, which they do in this New Zealand gorefest that adds heavy metal music and juvenile humor to a mix that aims for a campy midnight movie vibe it never quite achieves. The plot centers on goth teen Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), who is shipped off to live with his ultraconservative aunt (Jodie Rimmer) and uncle (Colin Moy) and their bullying jock son (Nick Hoskins-Smith) after Brodie's mother goes bonkers. Fortunately, Brodie meets hip guy Zakk (James Blake), who joins Brodie's metalhead band. When the pair break into a derelict house, they find crazy Daggers (Stephen Ure), once the lead singer of a legendary metal group, who is hiding out from the guru of a satanic cult intent on retrieving a “Dark Hymn” that Daggers stole and now bequeaths to our heroes. The story kicks into gear once the band plays the piece—which turns everybody within earshot into zombie-like monsters. Brodie and his cohorts struggle to fight off the menace, while the cult leader and his minions show up to reclaim the hymn, with much comically bloody mayhem ensuing. Writer-director Jason Lei Howden assembles the basic ingredients for a goofy good time, but doesn't quite successfully blend the elements, with only an occasional sharp line delivered here by a largely amateur cast. Optional, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer-director Jason Lei Howden, an interview with Howden (6 min.), the production featurettes “Brotherhood of Steel: The Cast” (5 min.) and “Gorgasm: The FX” (5 min.), the music video “Deathgasm” by Bulletbelt, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an underwhelming horror comedy.] (F. Swietek)