We’ve come a long way from the Beatles revolutionizing the rock band film with A Hard Day’s Night. Enter, the Foo Fighters, who star in Studio 666, a horror flick about the band recording their tenth album (which was actually released in 2021). Studio 666 is a tongue-in-cheek horror film that takes camp up to the max. It’s filled with a fun performance from Dave Grohl, who is having the time of his life, and some great scenes where the band records their songs (including a 45-minute song).
Studio 666 is a supernatural horror-comedy film that follows the Foo Fighters as they attempt to record their tenth studio album in an Encino mansion. Lead singer Dave Grohl has hit a creative dry spell; leaving him with the ability to only play his old songs and watching YouTube tutorials on how to write hit songs when you’ve hit such a dry spell. Studio 666 is a fictional version of The Beatles: Get Back with supernatural elements (other than Paul McCartney’s ability to create the song Get Back from the bass).
The thing about Studio 666 is that it likely came to be in a very similar fashion to how the band ends up at the haunted Encino mansion: The idea being pitched to an excited “Let’s do this!” from Grohl. That’s not to say that the rest of the band wasn’t excited, but everything about Studio 666 feels like it means just a little bit more to Grohl than anyone else. It’s a high-budget passion project that doesn’t feel like a celebrity trying to use their popularity to branch off into other avenues — sorry, Addison Rae and Faze Rug. For lack of a better term, Studio 666 at least feels like a movie, if that makes any sense. And while none of the band members have a performance that holds a candle to Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a few that the band shouts out in the film, they have a rapport that only band members can share. I’ve already stated numerous times that Grohl is committed (and great), but the rest of the band members bring something to the table.
A still from STUDIO 666. Photo courtesy of Open Road Films.
Drummer Taylor Hawkins might be my favorite part of the band. If you haven’t ever seen him drum solo and improv, I highly recommend it. The dude is uber-talented and he shares some hilarious back-and-forth lines with Grohl. At one point, Grohl invents a new chord, the “L#,” to which Rami asks what happened to the “H, I, J, K” chords to which Grohl replies: “G, H, I don’t give a fuck.” The chemistry of a band that has been together for two or three decades is on full display, and it’s most of what brings the film to life. Another great example of the wit of the band members is when one character is possessed, two of the band members decide to look at a guide that can help determine whether or not someone is actually possessed and in need of an exorcism. This guide includes “incessant masturbating” and “insatiable hunger for raw meat” (specifically chicken). It’s the delivery of these lines that are far funnier than they are on paper, but they are still worth noting. Pat Smear and Nate Mendel are a great pair that also have the best sequence in the entire film. At one point, they are chased around by a possessed band member in a hilarious long-take.
It’s not just band quips that’ll make you laugh, there are some awesome cameos in Studio 666. Will Forte plays a delivery driver and wannabe band member, who sets off Grohl by stating that the Foo Fighters are his second favorite band behind Coldplay (I would be insulted, too). The violence in the film is gruesome and very gory, but while that may sound like the recent Texas Chainsaw Movie, it’s the complete juxtaposition as it serves its purpose as campy violence that is meant to be cheesy. There is blood spurting out of bodies like a Tarantino movie and cymbals being used as weapons, but it’s clearly not meant to be serious. Even the final showdown features enough low-blows to put the WWE and Jackass crews to shame.
A still from STUDIO 666. Photo courtesy of Open Road Films.
One cast member who is severely underused is Jenna Ortega. You could probably count the minutes of screentime the young star has on one hand. Studio 666 is a Foo Fighters-centric movie, but it would’ve been great to see Ortega used more. In all fairness, Studio 666 was filmed long before her breakout role in Scream (2022), but they likely knew what they had in her white filming Studio 666 and even five more minutes would’ve done wonders for the film.
Look, there’s nothing deep about Studio 666, and that’s perfectly fine. They do throw a line or two in there about “selling your soul” in the rock and roll industry, but it never goes further than that. Ditto to the numerous references throughout the film, most of which are great. David Lynch’s Dune and Waterworld are both mentioned, Led Zeppelin is referenced because Grohl wants “wizards and dragons and shit” a la Led Zeppelin while they recorded an album, Grohl leaps out of a pool in a very Jason Voorhees-like manner, and the fictional manager in the film, played by Jeff Garlin, pokes fun at the band for not putting out albums like Sting, though this line doesn’t hold much weight as Sting has put out five albums since 2011, one of which was simply an album of reworked songs, and the Foo Fighters have put out four.
You don’t have to be the world’s biggest Foo Fighters fan to enjoy Studio 666, but you have to be able to tolerate Dave Grohl (not that this is a hard task) like his band members do when he insists on a 45-minute song with no known ending at the time of recording (what are they, Greta Van Fleet on their second album?). Studio 666 is a joy to watch as one of the best examples of self-awareness in a passion project. The Foo Fighters aren’t world-renowned actors, but like Grohl’s superb rendition of Band on the Run showed, he can learn how to fly, and boy, do the Foo Fighters fly.
Open Road Films will release Studio 666 in theaters on February 25.
Andrew is an entertainment journalist and film "critic" who has written for the likes of Above the Line, Below the Line, Collider, Film Focus Online, /Film and The Hollywood Handle among others.
Leader of the Kaitlyn Dever Fanclub.
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Kat Conner Sterling, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson and Matthew Lillard
Directed by: Emma Tammi
Written by: Scott Cawthon, Emma Tammi and Seth Cuddeback
Based on the video game series by: Scott Cawthon
Produced by: Jason Blum and Scott Cawthon
Executive Producers: Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman and Christopher H. Warner
Chica and Mr Cupcake from Five Nights at Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)
Plot
Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems. With the aid of Vanessa, a local police officer, Mike’s nights at Freddy’s will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.
Foxy from Five Nights At Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)Bonnie from Five Nights At Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)Freddy Fazbear from Five Nights At Freddy’s (Universal Pictures)
Movie Review (No Spoilers)
The movie takes its inspiration from the Five Nights At Freddy’s videogame series and the franchise of the same name. The franchise currently consists of a total of 20 video games (10 main games, 6 spin-offs, and 4 troll games), a total of 48 books (3 novel books, 21 anthology books, 8 graphic novels, 5 guidebooks, 3 coloring books, and 8 other books), as well as a horror attraction, Snapchat lenses, this movie, and an ongoing batch of merchandise.
We see Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail’s play the part of Mike Schmidt and Officer Vanessa Shelly respectively. They played their parts well and their performance definitely contributes to the dramatic effects within the movie. The story was nicely adapted from the narrative in the video games. Being familiar with the video games I expected Five Nights at Freddy’s to be filled to the brim with jump scares. Sadly, the jump scares were quite infrequent and there is definitely a lack of gory scenes, leaving you with the feeling that the animatronics might not be that scary at all. The animatronics were well designed.
The movie successfully delivers a plot twist at the end. The story ends in such a way that you can expect a sequel and I hope that if we get to experience another night at Freddy’s that we get to experience an even greater scare.
I rate this movie a 3 out of 5 based on expectations. As a fan of the game series you will definitely enjoy this because this movie takes a lot of the Five Nights At Freddy’s lore into account with a few variations.
I personally feel the trailer delivers a bit of a scare, however it reveals a little bit too much information about the story. There is a mid-credits scene and a potential secret audio message at the end of the credits. Feel free to stick around.
Five Nights At Freddy’s Official Trailer (Universal Pictures)
Regan, a young girl, displays bizarre behaviour after playing with an Ouija board. Chris, her mother and an actress, consults two priests who conclude that Regan is possessed by a demonic entity.
The Exorcist Trailer (Warner Bros.)
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
A priest is tasked with probing the death of another priest who died while exorcising a girl four years ago. However, the latter does not remember the incident and is under the care of a psychiatrist.
Exorcist II: The Heretic Trailer (Warner Bros.)
The Exorcist III (1990)
Lieutenant Kinderman sets out to investigate a series of brutal murders with the trademark of a serial killer, The Gemini. However, he uncovers disturbing facts which leave him troubled.
The Exorcist III Trailer (Warner Bros.)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
While doing missionary work in Africa, Father Lankester Merrin comes across a boy who is behaving strangely. Further investigation reveals that he is possessed by an ancient demon.
Exorcist: The Beginning Trailer (Warner Bros.)
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
Father Lankester Merrin has his first encounter with a demon when a church is excavated from beneath the sand. Soon, he discovers several signs of devil worship inside the church.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist Clip (Warner Bros.)
The Exorcist: Believer
When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who’s witnessed anything like it before.
The Exorcist Believer Trailer (Universal Pictures)
Movie Review (No Spoilers)
The movie doesn’t rush too quickly into the dramatic aspects of the film. It really provides a different feel to that of the predecessors. Olivia O’Neil and Lidya Jewett really brought their A-game and I really appreciated their performance. As always, the possessed voices are always done excellently. There is a treat for longstanding fans of the Exorcist movies with the return of Ellen Burstyn who returns as Chris MacNeil, which was teased in the movie trailer as well. The soundtrack along with the use of strategically placed jump scares contributed to the overall scare, however, most of the massive scares are closer to the end of the movie. I recommend watching the other Exorcist-related movies to really have the background. A lot of effort was done in the make-up, special effects and with the religious elements that have been factored into the movie.
Just a word of caution though, this movie is not for the faint-hearted and sensitive viewers.
There is no post-credits scene at the end, so no need to wait till the end. The official trailer I feel gives away a lot of the movie in terms of some of the plots, so watch perhaps the movie before watching the trailer. I rate this movie a 3.5 out of 5. Really looking forward to future projects in the Exorcist film series but I really hope they can deliver a scary surprise in a future sequel.
No running. No diving. No lifeguard on duty. No swimming after dark.
Ray Waller, a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, moves into a new home with his concerned wife Eve, teenage daughter Izzy and young son Elliot. Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades Eve that the new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror.