[Warning: Spoilers for both Deathgasm and Emo the Musical ahead]

Hello, and welcome back to Netflix Dumpster Dive, where we’re going to be doing something a little different this time around.

Normally, we find an underknown/appreciated movie or Netflix original, review it, and get my recommendation (or lack thereof) for it. This time, what I want to do is look at two movies with relatively similarly premises and look at why I believe one failed at its execution and one did not.

I found the inspiration for this when my girlfriend and I watched Emo the Musical one morning. We both were in agreement that we did not like the movie, but I wanted to figure out why. I mean, it’s a comedy surrounding a concept that I like poking fun at, and arguably is close with my personality. However, there is something that just eats at me about the movie.

Yes, people call me an emo a lot. With my hairstyles, painted nails, and black-and-grey clothing palette, it may be a reasonable pin. I don’t personally subscribe to it. Nonetheless, I understand the culture of younger emos. I want everyone to understand this: the era of My Chemical Romance obsessed, self-harm glorifying teens is not only over, but made fun of in that community.

The thing is, most comedy creators are aware of this. When’s the last time South Park or Family Guy tried to shove an emo joke down our throats? Yet, in 2016, Emo the Musical comes out. The movie is way behind the times in every regard. Even the Christian youth group dynamic feels stale and out of place less than two years after the movie’s release. The jokes fall flat because, yes, they’re exaggerated, but the beauty in any exaggeration is the clear nugget of truth contained within.

Which brings us to Deathgasm. GOD, I love this movie. I mentioned it in my Halloween post, and I also said I was going to hold off making extended content on it until the friend I initially watched it with had a chance to work with me on it. However, that time may never come, and therefore I think this is the best time to demonstrate the absolute comedic and thematic strength of this film.

While Emo the Musical makes it very clear, “Emos, we are laughing at you,” Deathgasm says, “Metalheads, we are laughing with you.” I mean, come on. No emo is going to be that enamored with suicide. No emo thinks their defining trait is living through hell. That’s stupid. But metalheads are absolutely going to come up with crazy, raunchy band names and want to call up demons from hell for their music (even if just in a metaphorical sense). That’s just one example of why Deathgasm’s humor hits so beautifully.

Another key difference between these movies is that Deathgasm knows what it is, but doesn’t constantly remind the audience that it knows. Emo the Musical will never, ever, let you forget that it is intentionally corny and dumb. With Deathgasm, the silly parts are funny. They work. The naming of the band is so God damn relatable. The conflict with the supernatural is nothing new, but the conflict between the members of the band is something else entirely. It is amazing. It is genuine. I was so mad and upset for Brody in Deathgasm in a way that I wasn’t for Ethan in Emo the Musical, even in spite of the clear similarities with the characters, and why? Because I’m supposed to be laughing at Ethan’s troubles. I’m not supposed to think Brody getting his ass kicked or his girlfriend stolen is funny. It hurts. But Ethan? Every single beat of his struggles is lampooned by the film’s writers, the other characters, et cetera. And it doesn’t help that the jokes themselves aren’t funny.

What I also love about the resolution of Deathgasm is that its love story is satisfying in a way that these types of movies don’t always succeed with. Brody gets the girl, and she winds up loving the metal culture and becoming a part of it. While the movie is making fun of the aspects of metal culture, it also glorifies them and makes them appealing. Emo the Musical paints emos as so ridiculous and unlikeable that the only logical solution was for Ethan to shed the culture that was a part of his very identity, just for the sake of being liked by a girl who wanted to change him the entire movie.

The point I am trying to make is that in any musical or stylistic community, making a film poking fun at them is a volatile practice. You simply can’t just attack the character and habits of them without making some attempt to sympathize with them. Deathgasm lets metalheads laugh at themselves while still showing how cool the culture can be, with an incredibly likeable protagonist in Brody. Emo the Musical’s approach amounts to nothing more than the bully who smashes Ethan’s guitar at the beginning of the movie.

If I were given the chance to recommend either one of these movies, every single time I would pick Deathgasm. I don’t care who it is, if it has to be one or the other, it’s Deathgasm.

Emo the Musical Rating: 4/10

Deathgasm Rating: 8.5/10

 

Thank you for reading! If you want to read more, and are interested in short stories and other content in the future, feel free to follow the site, and check out my books in the link above. My Twitter can be found here as well.

-Vincent

 

© 2018 Vincent C. Russo. All Rights Reserved. This post is intended for review and constitutes fair use. This film and any images used belong to their respective owners.