“The goal with Deathgasm,” says writer-director Jason Lei Howden, “was to make the sort of film that I wanted to watch when I was a teenager. The perfect storm of gore and metal and boobs and dick jokes.” He chuckles to himself before adding, “I guess I kind of succeeded in that.”
He’s not wrong. One of the highlights of the Freak Me Out section at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, Deathgasm is a schlocktacular horror comedy about a wannabe teenage metal band that accidentally summons a demon intent on destroying the world. It’s also another example of a terrific Kiwi genre film, building on the success of titles like Housebound and What We Do In The Shadows, which proved big hits on the festival circuit last year.
“A lot of people have taken an interest in New Zealand genre films, and it’s something that we need to be supporting,” says Howden. “I never even realised until I went to South By Southwest, and all these Americans were like, ‘We love Kiwi horror films.’ I think it’s something that we should embrace.”
Deathgasm was partially funded after Howden won the Make My Horror Movie competition, a contest run in collaboration with the NZ Film Commission, which had a NZ$200,000 prize up for grabs. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, executiveproducer Ant Timpson identified Howden’s enthusiasm as a key factor that helped him stand out from the crowd. Watching the final product, it’s clear the judges made the right call, with Howden’s love of horror movies and metal bursting from every frame.
“A lot of the inspiration came from my teenage years, being a teenaged metalhead, and the sort of movies that me and my mates would watch back then,” says Howden. “Stuff like Braindead and Day Of The Dead and Return Of The Living Dead; really any movie that had ‘dead’ in the title. And also a lot of heavy metal horror films from the ’80s, things like Trick Or Treat and Black Roses.”
Although Deathgasm is Howden’s first feature, he’s had a long career in the film industry, working for special effects companies including Weta in NZ and Iloura in Melbourne on films such as The Hobbit, The Great Gatsby and Man Of Steel. Naturally, Deathgasm didn’t have quite the same budget as a superhero flick, although Howden is still very happy with the results.
“My original script was just insane,” he laughs. “I didn’t even send that version to the producers. We were always trimming it down and trying to make the most of the resources we had, and I think for the limitations, we still managed to get a lot in there and do a lot with what we had.”
While Howden’s film definitely won’t be for everyone, the reaction from horror fans since it premiered at SXSW has been overwhelmingly positive. “It’s been incredible,” he says happily. “I couldn’t have predicted how well it would be received. Most of [the reviews] have been really positive.”
One of the best pieces of feedback so far came from an audience member at the Stanley Film Festival in Colorado, where marijuana was recently legalised. “One guy’s review was, ‘I just walked into the cinema, and I was so stoned, and I didn’t know what was happening, but there were chainsaws and boobs and it was awesome,’” says Howden, laughing again. “So that’s our target audience I guess.”
Howden also reckons there’s a pretty easy way to determine whether the movie will appeal to you. “If you see the title Deathgasm and think, ‘Maybe this isn’t for me,’ then you’re probably right.”
Deathgasmis showing at Event Cinemas George Street Friday June 5 and on Sunday June 7 it plays at Dendy Newtown, as part of Sydney Film Festival’s Freak Me Out program. More info and full prgram at sff.org.au.
