Studio 666 Review

Studio 666 review.

The Foo Fighters make a movie. And it’s a pretty good one. Studio 666 is clearly born out of love for both the horror genre and the songwriting process. That love lends an authenticity to both the movie and the band members playing themselves. Dave Grohl, as he does in the band, takes center stage and flexes impressive comedic chops.

New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.

Studio 666

Directed by BJ McDonnell

Screenplay by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes

Starring The Foo Fighters

Studio 666 Review

Dave Grohl is clearly a big fan of horror. He’s credited with coming up with the story for Studio 666. It’s a film that could only exist if Grohl had a love for horror to combine with his passion for music and the artistic process. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel…it’s trying, and succeeding, at having fun riding it for a while.

The Foo Fighters (playing themselves) are trying to come up with their tenth studio album. They rent out a supposedly cursed house to serve as their recording studio. I realize this sounds like the beginning of a Scooby Doo episode. Grohl becomes increasingly obsessed with finishing an epic song that a band decades ago died while trying to record. The band grows concerned about Grohl’s actions and wonders if they’ll suffer the same fate.

Studio 666 works because Dave Grohl understands and commits to the bit. First and foremost, he’s very funny. He’s always come across as a likable guy…but he has surprising comedic timing. He’s also tasked with performing a slow descent into madness. He pulls that off by leaning into the comedy too. A less confident person would be lost playing himself all the different ways Grohl does here.

The rest of the band members each have their moments to shine but this is clearly the Dave Grohl show. The band does a smart thing leaning into one character trait and riding it as far as it takes them. The performances might come off as one note…but they strike the right chord. Yeah…I can’t help the puns.

The best aspect of Studio 666 is the excruciatingly long recording session of Grohl’s epic masterpiece. He turns into a monster in the studio long before he turns into one in the story. To be fair, Grohl might be possessed by a demon. Either way, Grohl is fearless in portraying himself as a madman demanding perfection.

I’ve never recorded a song…but the process displayed in Studio 666 feels like it’s picking out specific heated moments the members have experienced. In a movie full of demons and bloody mayhem…it feels real.

Studio 666 is firmly a Foo Fighters centric movie. Will Forte, Whitney Cummings, John Carpenter, Jenna Ortega and Jeff Garlin are all on hand for glorified cameos…but they’re mostly there to move the band to the next obstacle in the story. Cummings has the role of delivering the exposition to let the band members know they’re in a horror story and does what she can with the role. The truth is Studio 666 exists so the band can have a good time making it and we can have a good time watching them have it.

It’s all completely dependent on Grohl. That he delivers so often makes Studio 666 a fun ride that could have easily become stuck in the mud many times with a less charismatic, funny lead actor.

Eventually things turn bloody for our heroes. If Grohl’s obsessive, controlling personality doesn’t kill them there is still the matter of the house being haunted by demons. Fortunately, there are some creative kills in Studio 666. Everything is done in the spirit of fun that the movie trades in…but there is some significant gore piled in for those who want it.

The ending of the movie is a bit convoluted, but ultimately it lands in a good place. Studio 666 is more about spending time with these people in a completely insane situation anyway. It doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, but it does take a little too long to get to the real fun. The problem isn’t that it’s too long so much as they don’t try to develop these characters beyond the surface with the time they use. The first half could have used a quick edit.

Still, the fun does begin and Grohl’s performance covers some rough patches early. The climax bogs itself down in lore and heavy-handed commentary on the music industry. But there is enough fun and mayhem left in the tank to make it worthwhile.

Scare Value

Studio 666 is a fun ride with a band who clearly had a good time making it. The comedy works thanks to a great lead performance by Dave Grohl and everyone pulling their weight in support. It doesn’t veer away from its intention to be entertaining first. There are some rough patches, but the next good moment makes it worth spending your time in the cursed makeshift studio. It’s exactly what it intends to be.

3/5