studio 666
starring: dave grohl, jenna ortega, whitney cummings, and taylor hawkins
REVIEWER: nick tonkin
Legendary rock band Foo Fighters move into an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history to record their much anticipated 10th album.
Studio 666 is a horror comedy based on a story by Dave Grohl, starring Grohl and his band The Foo Fighters. Struggling to find inspiration for the making of their 10th album, the band take up the suggestion from their agent (heavily in debt and desperate for new Foo’s material), that they move into a mansion in Encino, Los Angeles to get away and focus on their work. Unbeknownst to the band, this mansion was the scene of the grisly murders of the band members of Dream Widow by their singer in the early 90’s, after he went insane over creative differences. It doesn't take long for whatever insidious force at the house that worked on Dream Widow’s singer to start upon Dave Grohl himself.
Studio 666 knowingly leans into classic horror clichés and ridiculousness, in a kind of homage to the old greats of the genre. Driving this point across literally is how Grohl managed to get John Carpenter himself to compose the theme for the movie and even shoot a cameo as their audio engineer. The score runs with the theme, bringing a suitably strong Carpenter vibe to the film in the moments that aren’t dominated by the chunky, sludgy, Sabbath-esque sounds of the music being written by the band during their sessions at the mansion. Dave Grohl is allegedly going to release an album as a tie-in with the movie under the name “Dream Widow” soon, and if it sounds anything like the Dream Widow of the movie, then that would be one killer tie-in.
As much as classic horror clichés are front and centre of the movie, it’s all mostly just really funny, with knowing winks to the Foo’s history, and also how old they are (Pearl Jam high-fives!), and preposterous and over-the-top comical gore taking up the majority of the last act. Though unfortunately for Studio 666, it does almost overstay its welcome towards the end. Which is a shame, as the movie is full of humour, a couple of ridiculous cameos and an endearing Dave Grohl, slowly succumbing to possession by the spirit of the lead singer of Dream Widow.
Studio 666 is a cheesy and ridiculous good time, with some great cameos, a killer soundtrack and gross-out gory moments at the expense of the members of Foo Fighters.
