Movie Review: 'Studio 666' Gets Horror Comedy Right

Studio 666 walks a remarkably slim tight rope between comedy and bloody horror and manages brilliantly to stay upright. This wildly fun and playful horror movie starring the rock band, The Foo Fighters, is such a jovial delight that even when someone dies horrifically you can sense they did so with the glee of a child enjoying a theme park ride. Dave Grohl and company are having an absolute ball sending up horror tropes and playing them straight for scares at the same time and I loved every moment of it.

Studio 666 posits our heroic rock icons, The Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Rami Jaffee, and Chris Shiflett, struggling with their 10th career album. In a meeting with their manager, played by the otherwise toxic Jeff Garlin, they nail down a place to record the record that can provide a little inspiration. The place that the manager has in mind has a history of death. What The Foo Fighters don’t know, but we do, via an opening flashback to the 90s, is that a legendary 90s band was slaughtered by one of their members in this house.

Sometimes, it's the little things that matter. For instance, The Foo Fighters don't act like rock stars. Instead, they act like the Scooby gang, right down to arriving at their new rock n'roll mansion in Encin0, California in a van, ala Scooby and the gang. There are several more references like this, such as an hilarious rule of 3 gag featuring one of the band members floating through the air, that recalls both Scooby and The Three Stooges. These touches add to the childlike joy that infuses Studio 666 while somehow not taking away from the practical effects gore and stomach turning kills sprinkled throughout.

Returning briefly to the plot, a negative mojo hangs on this mansion but that only brightens the spirit of Dave Grohl who hopes to tap the evil vibes to create a new rock classic, in the tradition of the relationship between Satan and heavy metal. This continues even after a member of their crew, Krug (Kerry King), is electrocuted while setting up the recording studio. While the rest of the band wants to leave, Dave implores them to stay, live in the house of death, and dedicate the record to Krug’s memory. The band reluctantly agrees and their fate is sealed.

Soon after, Dave becomes plagued by nightmares about Krug’s death and the evil entity that lingers in the house. Dave’s curiosity leads him to find a terrifying basement dwelling dripping with the blood of a freshly killed raccoon and an evil spirit seeking a host. Yes, Dave Grohl is going to be possessed, create a literally killer riff that goes on forever, and begin to build up a body count that may or may not include the rest of his band.

Studio 666 is directed by B.J McDonnell and was apparently a long time passion project for the band. As huge horror fans, The Foo Fighters jumped at the chance to star in Studio 666 going as far as to record an entire album of music for the fictional band Dream Widow, the band we only briefly hear in the movie before they are slaughtered. Their dedication to this project and the sheer and obvious amount of fun they appear to have had while making Studio 666 make it a joyous celebration of the horror genre.

The Foo Fighters are, obviously, not actors. However, what they lack in acting chops they more than make up for with enthusiasm. Naturally, lead singer Dave Grohl is the standout. Grohl’s playful energy, even when he’s possessed by a murderous, rock n’roll demon, is so much fun. The movie gains life and entertainment through the childlike glee Grohl takes in being gross and engaged in horrific, gory violence.

I don’t want to give anything away, and I won’t, but there are some standout practical and special effects deaths in Studio 666. My favorite is a throwback to the old slasher genre trope wherein two characters sneak off to have sex and are parted horrifically with a chainsaw. This scene gets extra points for the sex and death occurring while the song Lumberjack by Jackyl plays on the soundtrack. Choices like this delighted me with the combination of stomach turning viscera and big laughs.

Studio 666 is certainly not high art but it is a whole lot of fun. Whether you are a fan of The Foo Fighters or of classic horror movies, Studio 666 is a movie you will enjoy. Studio 666 opened in theaters nationwide on February 25th, 2022. I’ve read that it bombed on opening weekend and, to me, that’s a terrible shame. This is the kind of over the top silly, and fun horror movie that deserves a wide audience.