Film Review: STUDIO 666 (2022): New Horror Gorefest is Light on Plot and Proves Foo Fighters Can’t Act

Studio 666 Review

Studio 666 (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by BJ McDonnell and starring Dave Grohl, Whitney Cummings, Will Forte, Jeff Garlin, Leslie Grossman, Taylor Hawkins, Kerry King, Marti Matulis, Jenna Ortega, Pat Smear and Jason Trost.

When Michael Jackson made Thriller into a 13-minute short film, he was definitely on to something. It’s super cool to see your favorite musical artists in a movie and Thriller was a horror show that was just the perfect length. Foo Fighters, unfortunately, did not learn from Jackson and thus turned a very slight idea for a horror picture into a movie about 95 minutes longer than Thriller and about half as interesting. You want demonic possession? You want blood and guts? You want haunted houses? You get all of that minus the thrills in this new film directed by BJ McDonnell called Studio 666 which stars the members of Foo Fighters.

Studio 666 opens strongly enough as we see a young woman (Jenna Ortega) being pursued in a mansion by a psychopath with equipment visible surrounding the vicinity suggesting a movie or music project was being made in the house. Flash-forward many years later and the film’s main story line kicks into gear. Dave Grohl stars in the movie as himself who is inspired to go live in this house located in Encino to make the Foo Fighters’ 10th album truly legendary. Jeff Garlin plays the band’s manager who needs Foo Fighters to have a big hit in order to get back on track financially. A real estate agent (Leslie Grossman) shows the band the mansion and they agree on moving in to salvage their career by creating the ultimate hit album.

Whitney Cummings plays the next-door neighbor Samantha in Studio 666. Cummings is very unbelievable in her role which really just exists for a sex scene that ends up being a gory death sequence in the film. Cummings is not to blame for the fact that her character doesn’t work because she definitely puts in a lot of effort. It’s the scripting that is really weak here and the movie drags on for an eternity before it gets to the meat and potatoes of the movie which is essentially the last half hour of the picture.

Dave Grohl is the character in the film who ultimately gets possessed by a demonic spirit and his fellow Foo Fighters (the ones who survive) must find a book of spells which is the only thing that can end the demon’s reign of terror. The most memorable Foo Fighter in the film is also the weakest actor of the bunch, unfortunately. It’s Pat Smear who, in one scene, lays down in a filthy kitchen making one believe he is dead. Smear tries really hard in his role as he conveys the required emotions the best he can, and I admired that about his performance. However, even though I’m sure this movie isn’t about quality acting, Smear can be unintentionally funny at times. In fact, he doesn’t speak through the beginning scenes at all.

There are your typical bloody scenes and attempts at humor here that are expected in a spoof such as this. There is a delivery guy who doesn’t bring Grohl enough ranch dressing for his food and wants to give Grohl his demo CD to try to get noticed in the music world. This delivery man meets a horrible demise as do several Foo Fighters as well. From dead racoons to a scene of Grohl eating raw meat, it’s all flat and not very entertaining to watch.

Taylor Hawkins turns in one of the better performances of the group of Foo Fighters. Hawkins with his long blonde hair gets to have fun and does a nice little job as the only character who gets off easy here. Grohl should be ashamed of himself for some of his attempts at humor which are crude and rude. Grohl picks up the slack towards the end, however, when the demon possesses him, and he tries to escape a swimming pool full of holy water. Grohl is a frightening demon but in some of the movie’s regular scenes, he’s a frightening actor. It’s not his fault, I suppose, that he thought this threadbare plot could sustain an almost two-hour movie. Jeff Garlin, as the band’s manager, is sadly wasted though he makes a surprise re-appearance late in the film.

Studio 666 is almost destined to be a cult film because of how bad it is. Actually, it’s not that it’s bad. It’s flat. It feels like it has been done before but with people who can actually act. This movie is a project that may appeal more to true Foo Fighters fans. I am a fan of their music but knew little of their personal lives going into the movie which left me out of the loop. Plus, the songs of theirs that I do know aren’t in the film.

If you want to see a horror film chock full of gore, weak acting and inside jokes then, by all means, see Studio 666. My aforementioned thoughts on the film are simply my own and fans of the band will certainly find something to like here. I doubt it will be the acting, though.

Rating: 4/10

Leave your thoughts on this Studio 666 review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.