Studio 666

Once again we come to a movie where I'm uncertain if 2 or 15 stars is what I'd give it, so I'll settle on 7, this despite the fact that stars don't really matter with something like... this. I mean, what other film in the year of our lord two thousand twenty two will you see former Germs guitarist (and touring guitar for Nirvana as my wife pointed out) Pat Smear screaming his head off as CGI demons try to rip his head off? This is maybe the most baffling comedy-horror film I've seen in a theater since Tusk - and that isn't a put down, persay, it's just... what is this?! And why is Pat Smear sometimes not good at all and other times is very funny?

Studio 666 is written like it was by 14 year olds who just discovered heavy metal and/or the Evil Dead from their older brother's cabinet, while still coming from seasoned veterans (the director of Hatchet III no less), and who cares if like 3/4ths of the Foo Fighters aren't from the Stella Adler school? It hasn't stopped rock stars from appearing in stuff and for material like a story where a band has to record an album in a house that is a portal to hell they can meet the bare minimum.

You know as soon as you see the trailer if you'll go see it, in a theater, as I did with Scream 5 and had no idea it was coming and once I saw it my thought was "HELLS YEAH... HUH... SURE! Wait is that Lionel Richie? Yes!" It's bloody, dorky, chunky, stupid, awkward, puzzling, as funny as it sometimes is pretty unfunny (some of the timing of the sorta jokes fall flat), and if I were stoned I might put a monument to it in its honor.

I gotta get an Oral History of how this came to be some day soon. Other highlights: Will Forte's wig, John Capenter (who scored the opening with his son) appearing for a cameo and probably being paid with the whiskey he drank on set, and how hard it goes in act three. I haven't listened to Foo Fighters regularly since before I had my undergrad degree, and it made me semi curious.... nah, this movie is enough. One real downside: it's a little too long.

You can tell the Foos love a good laugh. This wasn't so much a horror movie but instead was a series of inside jokes and double entendre. I found myself laughing at the jokes and then ultimately at the silliness. Thanks Dave and the rest of the guys!

I found out this morning that Taylor Hawkins passed away yesterday, the same day that I watched this film, so I wanted to open this review with a quick "rest in peace". I'm not sure how to segue from that, so I suppose I'll just start a new paragraph.

The greatest strength of 'Studio 666 (2022)' is arguably also its greatest weakness: the Foo Fighters and their wonderfully wonky acting. If there's any joy to be found here, it's purely because of the focal band and how much fun each member seems to be having. In fact, their energy is actually rather infectious and it makes for a rather sweet retrospective experience. In the moment, though, the movie isn't anywhere near as fun as it ought to be. It's goofy, gory and suitably self-aware, but it's also tonally inconsistent and far too long (it has about three different endings and ultimately settles on what's easily the worst one). It isn't particularly funny and it isn't particularly scary, either. It's a bit of a slog, to be honest. Pat Smear's almost permanent grin sort of encapsulates the picture's primary problem: it's always just one small step away from feeling fully credible. Every time it almost convinces you that it's a 'real' movie and you start to feel yourself getting lost in its B-movie pastiche, an unintentionally hokey or otherwise uncanny element will rear its head and set things right back to square one. Despite all this, it's never offensively bad. It's actually oddly endearing, even though it's undeniably subpar. It's never boring and its practical effects are surprisingly excellent. It has a couple of enjoyable moments, too. It's good enough for what it is, but not much more. 5/10.

Lots of laughs, lots of gore, lots of bad acting, bad editing and direction, but, despite all this, I had a lot of fun watching it.

Grohl is pretty good, the rest of the band, not so much.

To be picky, in a movie that is not meant to be taken too seriously, it is a bit too long and that is not how you wire a car, Pat!!

I knew I would like this movie from the start. Dave Grohl is a magical Rock geek and this movie extends that. I'm a little surprise Dave Grohl can't act cause I seen him in other movies but I am not shocked that the rest of the Foo Fighters looked stiff on camera, but the thing about the movie is even if your love of the Foo Fighters is just in passing, you'll love this movie cause the Foo Fighters are in it.

I mean watching Pat Smear just recite lines was so entertaining. No one else could have pulled that off, no other band could have pulled off being such god awful actors in a two hour film and hold my interest, but they were able to do that, and all with only little pieces of a new incremental they played over and over again as part of the plot.

The idea apparently was something the Foo Fighters just thought would be cool for the longest time and decided just to do it. As themselves, the Foo Fighters set out to make their 10th album different by recording in a mansion that is haunted. I personally have herd the myths of rock bands recording albums in haunted houses. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers are on record stating they felt a ghostly presence in the house they recorded Blood Sugar Sex Magik in (Drummer Chad Smith even moved out because of it).

Typical of Dave Grohl, who seems to love Rock and Roll lore, decides to poke fun of the whole thing with his own horror parody.

It is a movie for all Rock fans and all Foo Fighter fans and well worth seeing.