A single, forbidden chord rings out: the Black Hymn, played in desperation, tears open the quiet and drags Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon back into noisy life nearly a decade after the first film. The sequel to the 2015 New Zealand cult hit fixes its gaze on heavy metal subculture, piles on relentless low-brow humor, and splashes the frame with extravagant practical effects.
Director Jason Lei Howden returns with the core cast and the same reckless devotion that fueled a fan-funded push to make this follow-up real. The result reads as a blood-slick valentine to splatter cinema and the unruly spirit that keeps it alive.
The story installs Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) in a harsher register. The former misunderstood teen now drifts as a stagnant, directionless adult, clinging to the memory of nearly ending the world. Failure corners him, and the choice that follows sets everything in motion: he plays the Black Hymn to reunite his bandmates Zakk and Dion. The rite twists into a tight, more intimate catastrophe and primes the promised Goremageddon with a course that diverges from the first film’s setup.
Stagnation and the Zombie-Buddy Dynamic
The sequel studies a deliberate devolution. Brodie has curdled into a sad, alcoholic wreck whose refusal to grow fuels the machinery of the plot. That refusal powers the necromancy that brings his dead bandmates back, and his flaw becomes the axis of the conflict. The cosmic threat of last time gives ground to a mess of personal, self-inflicted chaos.
The frame shifts from demonic-cult siege to a zombie-buddy comedy. Zakk and Dion return as gore-hungry undead while hanging onto a sliver of their old selves, which keeps the banter sharp. Brodie and his perpetually exasperated ally, Giles (Daniel Cresswell), juggle two flesh-eating friends while gearing up for the NoizeQuest Battle of the Bands.
The film mines the setup for absurdity: Zakk experiments with an ethical zomb-vegan diet; Dion discovers purpose as a zombie Dungeonmaster obsessed with Leviathans & Labryinths. Medina (Kimberley Crossman) reenters as a successful musician, and Jesse Dead (Kieran Charnock) leads a rival outfit whose “Heartcore” doctrine offers a neat satirical target for the film’s commitment to so-called true metal.
The Glory of Practical Effects and Authentic Volume
The production throws its weight behind practical effects and plants itself beside Braindead and Evil Dead. Gore lands like a punchline. Intestines snap back like rubber props, faces collapse like bruised fruit, and arterial spray functions as visual punctuation. Howden choreographs the mayhem with giddy gusto, driving the excess to extravagant peaks and turning the screen into an open buffet for lovers of cinematic schlock.
The heavy metal score locks in the movie’s drive. Composer Matthew Kiichi Heafy supplies riffs that pound in time with the jokes and the carnage. The sound propels fight beats and slapstick with a moshing pulse.
The tracklist also opens a lane for cultural commentary that strikes at the idea of false metal through the rival band’s posture. Brodie’s fidelity to the genre threads through the film and gives the action a steady, headbanging cadence.
Low-Brow Shock and the Matter of Heart
Goremageddon leans harder into crudity. The humor sloshes around in vulgar shock, chases juvenile gags, and occasionally kicks with a mean streak. Bodily fluids and toilet jokes crowd the frame, and the tone grows rougher and more ad hoc. The shift stands out against the first film, which paired its darkness with the tenderness of a coming-of-age arc.
Self-awareness keeps the script on its feet. Meta-humor and stray fourth-wall winks announce a clear recognition of its low-budget, DIY wiring. The punk charge suggests that the ragged edges, including repeated jokes and slack pacing, arrive by design and form part of the appeal. The cast commits to the bit and pulls the material back from pure tastelessness.
Daniel Cresswell sharpens Giles into a loyal, eye-twitching foil, and Kieran Charnock spins Jesse Dead into a gleeful irritant who nails the satire. The movie barrels forward as a loud, blood-drenched spectacle. It trades the earlier film’s neater focus and warmer core for unapologetic excess that courts viewers who crave extreme, anarchic shock value.
Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon is the sequel to the 2015 cult horror-comedy Deathgasm. The film had its world premiere in competition at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, on September 21, 2025, and also screened at festivals like Sitges and Screamfest. As of its festival run in late 2025, a broad public release date is pending, so streaming availability is not yet confirmed. The movie follows a washed-up Brodie who uses black magic to resurrect his dead bandmates, only to unleash a chaotic zombie apocalypse as he tries to win a Battle of the Bands competition.
Credits
Director: Jason Howden
Writers: Jason Howden
Producers and Executive Producers: Mark J. Cassidy, Nick Garrett, Antonio Hrynchuk, Andrew Thomas Hunt, Dana Lesiuk, Michael Paszt, Pasha Patriki, James Fler, Michael Vasicek, Joshua Viola
Cast: Milo Cawthorne, Kimberley Crossman, James Joshua Blake, Sam Berkley, Daniel Cresswell, Kieran Charnock, Harrison Keefe, Maggie Nicole Robertson
Director of Photography (Cinematographer): Jeremy Ratzlaff
Editors: Brendon Chan
Composer: Matt K. Heafy
The Review
Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon
Goremageddon is a sequel that trades its predecessor’s emotional resonance for extreme, chaotic spectacle. It delivers on its promise of face-melting gore and a powerful heavy metal soundtrack, proving a satisfying watch for dedicated splatter fans and headbangers. However, the decision to portray Brodie as a deeply flawed, unlikeable adult and the script’s persistent reliance on mean-spirited, juvenile shock humor ultimately dulls the film's edge, leaving it feeling less cohesive than the original. It is a loud, frenetic encore that excels in aesthetic while lacking in soul.
PROS
- Spectacular, committed practical gore effects that homage classic splatter cinema.
- Authentic and powerful heavy metal soundtrack, perfectly fitted to the film's tone.
- Committed ensemble performances, especially Daniel Cresswell (Giles) and Kieran Charnock (Jesse Dead).
- Self-aware, chaotic DIY punk-rock aesthetic.
CONS
- Narrative shift portrays Brodie’s stagnation in a regressive and less sympathetic way.
- Over-reliance on extremely low-brow, juvenile shock humor that can feel unpleasant.
- Lacks the narrative heart and relatable coming-of-age stakes of the first film.
- Pacing issues and joke repetition occasionally slow the momentum.
