Jason Howden’s 2015 horror-comedy Deathgasm is a one-of-a-kind film that as gory and scary as it is funny. Filled with heavy metal antics, and produced in New Zealand, it’s become a cult hit, with the film’s off beat blend of comedy and violence garning legions of fans. I’m one, and for my money it’s one of the most fun horror films of the 2010s and a bonafide must-watch for metal sickos like me. Ahead of the release of the highly anticipated upcoming sequel, Deathgasm II: Goremageddon!, Bit Bot Media is continuing the Deathgasm story with not one, but two projects. In collaboration with director Jason Howden, Bit Bot is creating an all-new graphic novel, Deathgasm 1.5: Director’s Cut, which will serve as a prelude to the highly anticipated film. Meanwhile, alongside Howden’s Metalheads Inc., and FreakZone Games, Bit Bot are to develop a retro-style 16-bit side-scrolling Deathgasm video game. Both projects will be part of a Kickstarter campaign; backers can get early access before the game is made available to the public, and physical copies will be available for PS5 exclusively through the campaign. Fans can sign up on the Kickstarter prelaunch page to receive an email alert for both projects when the campaign launches.
Howden stated the following:
“Between the events of Deathgasm and its sequel was a story that I needed to tell. The story was so visually epic, so gory, and so offensive that it could never be filmed without watering it down. Instead, we made it into a graphic novel: DEATHGASM 1.5. We’re stoked for fans to witness Brodie and Medina slashing demons and thrashing metal riffs, meeting old mates and an ageless evil that lurks in the shadows of a heavy metal-hating church!”
Deathgasm 1.5: Director’s Cut will be 80 pages long, and in addition to series creator Howden, it will feature work from writer Peter Bune (Squatch Watch), artist Industrias Lamonicana (Fierro), colorist Zac Atkinson (Star Trek), and letterer Jeremiah Lambert (Transformers). The book also features contributions from writers Michael Schwartz (Armored) and Joshua Viola (True Believers), various hardcover editions with cover art by Skinner (Skin Crawl Magazine), Preston Asevedo (The Exiled), and Matthew Therrien (The Wrath of Becky).
The project will be Bit Bot Media’s first since acquiring ownership of UK-based game development studio Freakzone Games. Co-founded by bestselling author Joshua Viola and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer Klayton (known for his projects Celldweller and Scandroid), this strategic move brings FreakZone Games, founded by Sam Beddoes, under the Bit Bot umbrella, expanding the company’s reach into original and licensed video game development. Beddoes will continue to lead FreakZone’s game design efforts, while Bit Bot will assume publishing responsibilities.
Joshua Viola had this to say:
“We are thrilled to welcome FreakZone Games into the Bit Bot family. After working with Sam on The Rocky Horror Show video game, we realized Sam’s talent and creative vision perfectly align with our goals to develop groundbreaking storytelling experiences. Together, we’re poised to produce badass titles that will resonate with fans worldwide.”
Meanwhile, Klayton added the following:
“Our collaboration with Sam and FreakZone is an exciting step forward in our mission to merge compelling storytelling, interactive design, and immersive soundscapes into one powerful multimedia experience.”
In The Deathgasm Video Game, the Black Hymn has been unleashed, and Hell is bleeding into reality. Fans can play as Brodie, Zakk, or Medina and fight through nine brutally challenging levels—each inspired by Dante’s Inferno and swarming with demonic horrors and gloriously obscene humor—armed with chainsaws, axes, guitars, sex toys, and more to battle hordes of the damned and take down monstrous bosses based on the original film’s most twisted villains. The game will present fans’ favorite hapless metal heads as they’ve never seen them before.
Jason Howden had this to say about the game:
“We’ve cranked the volume to 11 and unleashed the brutal chaos of metal on Hell’s minions. This game is packed with gore, humor, and demonic insanity that couldn’t be contained in a film.”
The Kickstarter campaign will also offer a variety of other exclusive rewards, including high-end latex masks of the main demon villain, Aeloth, along with Brodie and Zakk sporting their signature corpse paint. Backers can also snag a limited-edition signed Blu-ray of the upcoming sequel film with exclusive slipcase artwork, as well as vinyl and cassette editions of the video game soundtrack composed by Sam Beddoes. Additional perks include original artwork, apparel, and the ultimate prize—a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted custom guitar, approved by the Devil himself and signed by designer Preston Asevedo. Images of the masks can be seen below.
To receive an email notification when the campaign launches, sign up on the Kickstarter Prelaunch page. For more updates, sign up at bitbotmedia.com for the Bit Bot newsletter and follow the company’s social media accounts.
