Written & Directed by Jason Lei Howden
2015, New Zealand
Back in my younger days, a group of friends and I sat around my living room and popped in a VHS copy of the Robert Rodriguez movie, From Dusk Till Dawn. The film awed me in the same way the monolith blew the apes minds in 2001: A Space Odyssey — and just like those apes, one identifiable moment altered my evolutionary path. The movie didn’t sweep through me, it settled in, took up shop, and reshaped my understanding of how great movies could make me feel. From Dusk Till Dawn was a fleeting hit of unadulterated cinematic elation, a high that I would spend the rest of my life chasing. Just like the first bite into a new favorite food or falling deep in love for the first time, this feeling raised my expectations for what came next, creating a new standard for judging all that followed.
Let me make it clear that I’m aware that From Dusk Till Dawn is not the best movie in the known universe, on the planet Earth, or even in the director’s filmography — it’s not even my favorite movie. It is however, an important movie to me, which touches me on a level approaching sacred. For Victor Stiff, From Dusk Till Dawn represents a concept that is more than a movie; it’s an experience, the embodiment of a special moment in time, and the key that unlocked my greater appreciation of cinema.
I could write 10,000 words trying to describe DEATHGASM (a film so metal its title MUST be written with Cap Lock on — no using the shift key) to the uninitiated , but I might as well try convincing my beagle that squirrels are not our mutual enemy. DEATHGASM can not be summed up in words, you either get it or you don’t. A huge part of what makes DEATHGASM special is that it has the potential to be an experience for moviegoers. I can say for certain that DEATHGASM will create From Dusk Till Dawn moments for a whole generation of cinephiles. It’s a movie that demands to be watched in a packed theatre or room full of friends. If you are a genre fan and DEATHGASM plays a festival in your city, do yourself a favor, round up all of your pals, and catch a screening.
DEATHGASM. See it. Enjoy it. Celebrate it.
Our man Ricky D shares his take on DEATHGASM here and discusses it on episode 503 of the Sordid Cinema Podcast here.