PLOT: When Brodie, a washed-up metalhead, resurrects his dead bandmates for a battle-of-the-bands, the result unleashes riffs, gore, and apocalyptic carnage only DEATHGASM can deliver.
REVIEW: I loved Deathgasm so much when it first released in 2015, as it was the perfect combination of comedy, horror, and metal that only the Kiwis can pull off. Metalheads Brodie and Zakk were lovable losers, and I found myself rooting for the love story between the former and Medina. So I was over the moon with the announcement of its sequelDeathgasm 2: Goremageddon. Now, we’re picking up a decade later, where Brodie’s life hasn’t exactly turned out the way he wanted it to: he’s unemployed, single, and his life seems to be crumbling around him. He wants to bring back his dead friends so that life can be like the old days. Only, things don’t go as planned, and he has to stop his friends from trying to end the world.
Despite Brodie having the cards stacked against him in just about every way, Milo Cawthorne is still able to make him likable. I’m sure it helps that we’re seeing an active Brodie versus the more passive one who lost his girlfriend in between films. But even while he’s making bad decisions, I still found myself rooting for him and being charmed by his clueless nature. James Joshua Blake’s Zakk was actually a bit of a dick in the first film, making some pretty selfish decisions. Oddly enough, his zombie transformation actually makes him a bit more likable, while still keeping his character consistent. He will be a rebel no matter what, even if it means not eating flesh as a zombie. The man is the ultimate contrarian.
I did feel as though we don’t get enough of Kimberley Crossman’s Medina, as she’s gone from the film for large chunks and largely away from Brodie. That’s too bad, as they were such a linchpin with the first film, and they have such a fun chemistry together. Medina is off with another musician, Jesse Dead, who is the epitome of a douchey rocker. But as much as Deathgasm was about their love story, this second film is really about Brodie finding himself and becoming his own person. Jesse is the opposite of Brodie, as a musician who is motivated to succeed, yet is an awful person to be around so there’s an interesting parallel there.
The occult and metal music go together like peanut butter and jelly, and Deathgasm 2 really takes advantage of that. The score is all very metal, and it helps to keep the energy up at all times. Brodie’s ultimate goal is to win a battle of the bands-style competition, which brings in even more metal acts to spew their satanic music. There are even some really fun cameos from famous metalheads GWAR and Trivium‘s Matt Heafy. So, whether you’re into horror, comedies, or metal, there’s enough to latch onto. There’s even a very random cameo from former WWE superstar Braun Strowman AKA Adam Scherr, where he says his wrestling catchphrase.
Whether it’s Dead Alive, Housebound, or even What We Do In The Shadows, there’s just something special about how horror comedy is made in New Zealand. They manage to always nail the tone, never over-explaining the jokes, and focusing on entertainment over everything. There are some fun meta moments, with the characters interacting with on-screen graphics and even breaking the fourth wall. They strike just the right balance, and it never overstays its welcome.
If you’re going to put Goremageddon in your title, then you’d better deliver some solid gore. Thankfully, the kills are practical and look incredible, with plenty of blood and guts, calling back to the early days of Peter Jackson. There’s a whole sequence with a glory hole that had me wincing with each new participant. And I’m never going to look at a pencil sharpener the same way again.
On a technical level, Deathgasm 2 always impresses and never lets its lower budget hamper it. The world is living and breathing, and the scope never feels too small. I will always appreciate the classic “animated lightning” that was so prominent in the 80s and ’90s, so it’s nice to see it utilized throughout. We need that brought back in more films.
I absolutely loved getting to experience more of the Deathgasm world again, as this style of horror-comedy has always appealed to me. Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon is able to recreate the magic of the first, without missing a beat. While Medina is underutilized, Dion and Zakk’s zombie forms provide such a hilarious dynamic, allowing the story to push forward naturally, while avoiding needless side tangents. I love these characters and could spend ten more movies with them. Metal and horror make for such a wonderful marriage, improved even further by the humor that never takes itself too seriously. This is downright hilarious, nasty, and one of the most fun times I’ve had with a film this year.
Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon releases to theaters in the US and Canada on September 29th, 2026.
