Studio 666 hits theaters Feb. 25, 2022.
Having produced and starred in some of the most memorable and funny music videos in modern rock history, it feels like a natural progression for the Foo Fighters to headline their own movie. But of all the forms that idea could’ve taken, I doubt a demonic possession horror-comedy was at the top of anyone’s list of expectations. Studio 666 parodies frontman Dave Grohl’s famous drive for musical excellence as the haunted house the Foos pick to record their new album brings out the devil in him, blending elements of the supernatural and slasher subgenres for a cinematic mixtape of mirthful mayhem -- one that could have used a more focused approach in its execution to get the most out of its silly and promising premise.
Studio 666 finds the Foo Fighters at a creative impasse as record label rep Shill (Jeff Garlin) demands delivery of their 10th album, with the band looking to a creatively tapped Dave for leadership and finding… the guitar intro of Everlong being his only idea. They decide to rent out a mansion in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley to find the new sound Dave’s after and, when bodies start piling up, it’s clear they’ve stumbled on much more.
Studio 666’s script, based on a story by Grohl and written by Jeff Buhler (2019’s Pet Sematary) and Rebecca Hughes, is a barebones pastiche of horror forerunners like The Shining, The Amityville Horror, The Evil Dead, and The Exorcist. Smoke demons, possessing spirits, suspicious neighbors, satanic cultists… there’s a lot of pieces on the game board for Studio 666 to play with, but their utility feels more aimed at giving director BJ McDonnell (Hatchet III) plenty of visual options in the movie’s back half and less about creating a cohesive story. These disparate supernatural elements, centered on a cursed song which the band find themselves compelled to finish, further suffer from shoddy visual effects, which draw more attention to the bloat they add to the movie. Despite a relatively brisk 108-minute runtime, it suffers from a protracted finale that draws out the less interesting aspects of the villains’ grand plan at the expense of ending the film at its most bombastic. Unsteady pacing is a recurring problem throughout Studio 666, with Dave’s possession being another element that gets teased out for too long.
Though the story is forgettable, Studio 666 is first and foremost a showcase for the Foo Fighters to kill and be killed in grand fashion and, in that regard, it’s a damn(ed) good time. Despite the fact that none of the guys are trained actors, the Foos are very natural on camera and their banter and brotherly digs at one another go a long way to keeping the movie afloat when the plot fizzles. Unsurprisingly, Grohl gets the most to do and plays the fictionalized version of himself without ego, leaning hard into jokes about being set in his ways and difficult to collaborate with. And as his possession worsens, Grohl swings for the fences, with his menacing of his bandmates and slapsticky brutality benefitting from his obvious enthusiasm.
Likewise, guitarist Pat Smear proves to be an excellently offbeat supporter, with his constant snacking and high-pitched screams providing Studio 666 reliably funny cutaways whether or not the spooky events provoking them are proving successful. Keyboardist Rami Jaffee, characterized as the band’s crunchy spiritual expert, gets the broadest brush to paint with and feels like he walked right out of an episode of Scooby Doo. The rest of the band -- drummer Taylor Hawkins, bassist Nate Mendel, and guitarist Chris Shiflett -- fall into more straight man-type roles, there to take Dave down a peg or two when he gets too full of himself, or to take a grill to the face when the singer needs to let off some steam. Studio 666’s supporting roster, featuring appearances from Whitney Cummings, Will Forte, and Jenna Ortega, is there solely to keep the plot moving, and they don’t leave much of an impression.
While the extraneous supernatural stuff doesn’t look great, the kill sequences are mostly realized with practical effects and give the movie much-needed texture, even if (and maybe because) the limited budget they’re executed with shows. The gruesome deaths don’t skimp on gore or creativity and will make you wish Studio 666 had spent more time celebrating its slasher roots, which feel the most in harmony with the band’s skillset as actors. The score, from Ministry drummer Roy Mayorga, provides the action with a brutal backbeat that feels refreshing in a modern horror movie, but it’s the theme song by – let me check my notes – f***ing John Carpenter that steals the show early on.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/TaiVl1k
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