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Studio 666
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| Studio 666 | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | B. J. McDonnell |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Dave Grohl |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Byron Wong |
| Music by | Roy Mayorga |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3 million[1][2] |
Studio 666 is a 2022 American comedy horror film directed by B. J. McDonnell from a screenplay by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes, based on a story by Dave Grohl, who stars, alongside his Foo Fighters bandmates Nate Mendel in his film debut, Pat Smear, Taylor Hawkins in his final film, Chris Shiflett in his feature film debut, and Rami Jaffee in his film debut, portraying fictionalized version of themselves.
Whitney Cummings, Leslie Grossman, Will Forte, Jenna Ortega, and Jeff Garlin co-star in the ensemble cast. In the film, the Foo Fighters move into a cursed mansion to record a new album.
Studio 666 is the first non-documentary to feature the Foo Fighters; the band was previously the subject of the film Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011) and the television series Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways (2014). The film was released theatrically in the United States on February 25, 2022, by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment. It received mixed reviews.
Plot
[edit]In 1993 Encino, Skye Willow, drummer of the heavy metal band Dream Widow, is crawling along the floor with a broken leg, followed closely by band's frontman, Greg Nole, who is holding a hammer. Skye sees the body of another band member, who has had his jaw broken by Greg, before Greg drives the hammer through her forehead and repeatedly hits her head with it, crushing her skull. Greg then hangs himself from a window.
In 2019, the Foo Fighters—Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, and Pat Smear—are pressured by their manager Jeremy Shill to overcome their writer's block and record a new album. The group move into the mansion, where Grohl becomes fascinated with the house as a source of inspiration. One of their tech helps, Krug, is electrocuted by a wire and the band decides to dedicate their album to him.
Grohl finds a basement containing satanic objects and is possessed by Nole's demonic soul after listening to a demo tape. Under the demon's control, Grohl forces the band to continue production on the album. Later, a delivery man named Darren, who had earlier tried to give Grohl a demo tape, is decapitated outside the manor by an unknown figure with hedge clippers. The next day, as Shiflett is cooking on the grill, the same figure pushes his face onto it. Shiflett attempts to escape but he has his head smashed with the grill cover and is stabbed repeatedly in the neck, before the figure is revealed to be Grohl.
The band later finds Darren's corpse, but Grohl convinces them not to call the police and takes their phones. After watching Grohl eating Shiflett's remains, the band soon learn of the mansion's backstory and Grohl's possession with the help of a neighbor, Samantha. To exorcise Grohl, they need to find a book needed to free him of the possession. As Samantha and Jaffee have sex, they are both killed when Grohl sneaks under the bed and drives a chainsaw through their heads, before cutting them in half. Hawkins is pressured by Grohl to finish the song while Mendel and Smear retrieve the book from the basement. Hawkins finishes the song and is partially decapitated by Grohl with a cymbal.
Mendel and Smear free Grohl from the possession, and the souls of the Dream Widow band members send the demon to hell. However, Jeremy and real estate developer Barb Weems ambush the remaining members, revealing that they planned the whole thing. While Smear is fixing a car from underneath, Mendel is stabbed in the eye, causing him to accidentally hit the gas, which runs over Smear's head and runs over Barb. As Mendel gets out of the car to help Barb, she stabs him through the chin and dies alongside him. Grohl battles Jeremy only to back down in horror when Jeremy tells him of the album's success and the start of his solo career. One year later, Grohl, the only Foo Fighter survivor, prepares to perform a solo concert, with marks of possession around his eyes.
Cast
[edit]Foo Fighters
- Dave Grohl – lead vocals, guitar
- Taylor Hawkins – drums
- Rami Jaffee – keyboards, piano
- Nate Mendel – bass guitar
- Chris Shiflett – guitar
- Pat Smear – guitar
Other
- Whitney Cummings as Samantha
- Will Forte as Darren Sandelbaum
- Jeff Garlin as Jeremy Shill
- Leslie Grossman as Barb Weems
- Kerry King as Krug
- Jenna Ortega as Skye Willow
- Marti Matulis as the Caretaker
- Lionel Richie as himself
- Jason Trost as Tech
- Jimmi Simpson as Venue person
- John Carpenter as Studio engineer
Production
[edit]
In November 2021, it was reported that a film starring the Foo Fighters entitled Studio 666 had been shot in secret. John Ramsey and James A. Rota produced the film, while the bandmates served as executive producers. Hatchet III filmmaker B. J. McDonell directed the film, working from a script written by Jeff Bulher and Rebecca Hughes, based on a story from Grohl inspired by their experiences recording their tenth album.[3]
Filming took place in the same house the band recorded their album Medicine at Midnight.[4] Nearing the end of filming in early 2020, production was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Production resumed in Los Angeles months later, becoming one of the first films to do so during the pandemic.[5] Six days of filming were planned to finish the film, but it would ultimately span three weeks due to the regulations put in place to film safely.[6]
Music
[edit]Grohl recorded a whole album of heavy metal songs for the in-movie fictional band Dream Widow.[7][8] John Carpenter also contributed to the film's soundtrack, having co-composed the opening credits.[9] The album was released on March 25, 2022, consisting of eight tracks.[10][11]
Release
[edit]Theatrical and marketing
[edit]Studio 666 was released theatrically on February 25, 2022, by Open Road Films.[12] The film held its world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on February 16, 2022.[13] According to social media analytic RelishMix, the marketing campaign made 97.9 million interactions online, "in line with horror genre norms".[14]
Home media
[edit]The film released as a digital rent on March 18, 2022.[15] The film was released to Blu-ray and DVD on May 24, 2022, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.[16]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]In the United States and Canada, Studio 666 was released alongside Cyrano, and was projected to gross $2–5 million from 2,306 theaters in its opening weekend.[17] The film earned $1.54 million in its opening weekend.[18] Men made up 58% of the audience during its opening, with those in the age range of 25–44 comprising 53% of ticket sales and those between 18 and 44 comprising 73%. The ethnic breakdown of the audience showed that 69% were Caucasian, 18% Hispanic and Latino Americans, 3% African American, and 10% Asian or other.[14] The film dropped out of the box-office top ten in its second weekend, finishing twelfth with $342,262.[19]
Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 126 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Studio 666 doesn't quite take its horror-comedy hybrid to 11, but if you're in the mood, this cheerfully over-the-top outing is a lot of fun."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[21] PostTrak reported 66% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend it.[14]
Megan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting called Studio 666 "an entertaining jam session full of gore, laughs, and endearing moments between the band".[22] In Paste, Matt Donato wrote: "It might run its welcome a bit long and struggle with more juvenile gags, but it’s still a proper midnighter that’ll have you barking (in laughter) at the moon."[23] Ed Masley, writing for Arizona Republic, said it was "plenty gory" and "definitely rocks", but criticized the humor.[24] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film one star, saying it "sadly conforms to the horror-comedy tendency of being neither properly scary nor properly funny". He found it "disconcerting" that the premise involved "violent and horrible things that happened back in the 90s", including suicide, alluding to the suicide of Grohl's former bandmate Kurt Cobain.[25]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Studio 666 (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "Studio 666 (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (February 24, 2022). "Dave Grohl Talks 'Studio 666' and Recording a Metal Album as Fictional Band Dream Widow". Variety. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 8, 2021). "Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl Unveils Horror Comedy Movie Studio 666; Open Road Lands WW Rights For February Theatrical Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Scarlett, Elizabeth (December 31, 2021). "Dave Grohl on Foo Fighters' Horror Film Studio 666: "There's No Other Band Stupid Enough To Do This!"". LouderSound.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ Lavin, Will (December 31, 2021). "Foo Fighters' Horror Film Studio 666 is "Absolutely Insane" Says Dave Grohl". Nme.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ "DAVE GROHL Has Recorded Entire New Metal Album". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. February 17, 2022. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ "EP review: Dream Widow – Dream Widow". Kerrang!. March 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Allen, Nick (February 25, 2022). "Studio 666". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ^ "Hear DAVE GROHL's New Metal Album As Fictional Band DREAM WIDOW". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. March 25, 2022. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ Gallagher, Alex (March 25, 2022). "Listen to Dave Grohl's new metal album as Dream Widow". NME. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (November 8, 2021). "Foo Fighters Announce New Horror Comedy Movie Studio 666". Pitchfork.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Willman, Chris (February 17, 2022). "Foo Fighters Kick Out the Jams, and Try to Kick Out the Demons, at 'Studio 666' Hollywood Film Premiere". Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 27, 2022). "Uncharted & Dog Keep Box Office Warm In Second Weekends Before The Batman Conquers – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ Studio666 [@Studio666Movie] (March 13, 2022). "Well I'll be damned. 😈 #Studio666Movie, starring @foofighters, is IN THEATRES NOW & AT HOME ON DEMAND MARCH 18" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Studio 666 Blu-ray". Blu-ray. May 3, 2022. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Robbins, Shawn (February 23, 2022). "Weekend Box Office Forecast: Uncharted and Dog Look to Continue Success as Cyrano and Studio 666 Debut". Boxoffice Pro. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 8". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 9". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Studio 666". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ "Studio 666". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ Navarro, Megan (February 22, 2022). "Studio 666 Review – The Foo Fighters Unleash Their Demons in Gory Splatstick Comedy". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Donato, Matt (February 22, 2022). "Foo Fighters Comedy-Horror Studio 666 Hits the High Notes". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Masley, Ed (February 22, 2022). "Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl Serve Up 'Hilarious Gore' in Uneven Horror Movie Studio 666". Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (February 22, 2022). "Studio 666 review – What Possessed Dave Grohl to Make This Frightful Gonzo Grossout?". The Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
External links
[edit]Studio 666
View on GrokipediaOverview
Plot
The film begins with a prologue set in 1993 at an Encino mansion, where the heavy metal band Dream Widow is recording their debut album. Their lead singer discovers a satanic tome inspired by Aleister Crowley and uses it to summon a demon in pursuit of the perfect song, leading him to ritually sacrifice animals and brutally murder his bandmates in a series of gory attacks before committing suicide by hanging, leaving the song unfinished and cursing the house with a demonic entity tied to its completion.[5] In the main storyline set in 2019, the Foo Fighters—Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee, portraying themselves—arrive at the same Encino mansion, rented through realtor Barb Weems, to record their tenth studio album amid pressure from their manager Jeremy Shill to deliver quickly. Grohl experiences visions of the past murders and uncovers the cursed book and a Dream Widow demo tape; playing the tape backward possesses him with the lead singer's demonic spirit, which enhances his musical creativity but compels violent acts to "feed" the ritual and finish the 23-minute song, revealing the supernatural mechanic where the demon is bound to the unfinished music and uses possession to propagate through rock artists.[5] As the band records, supernatural horrors escalate with the sequential deaths of its members, orchestrated by the possessed Grohl: Chris Shiflett is burned alive on a backyard grill after confronting Grohl, Rami Jaffee and neighbor Samantha are dismembered with a chainsaw during an intimate encounter, Taylor Hawkins is decapitated by a hurled cymbal when he attempts to destroy the song recording, and Pat Smear is impaled by the band's van during an escape attempt. Supporting characters, including the delivery man Darren Sandelbaum decapitated with hedge clippers earlier and a crew member electrocuted in a pool accident, fall victim first, heightening the mansion's role as a portal to hellish forces.[5] In the resolution, surviving bassist Nate Mendel and rhythm guitarist Pat Smear discover the book's exorcism passage and perform a ritual with blood sacrifices, temporarily expelling the demon from Grohl, but the song's near-completion reactivates the curse. Jeremy Shill and Barb Weems reveal themselves as Satan-worshipping conspirators who manipulated the band's arrival to unleash the demonic song and revive rock music through supernatural means; Mendel is stabbed by Weems, Smear dies in a van crash, and Grohl, reclaiming control but retaining the possession, kills Weems and Shill before emerging as the sole survivor. One year later, Grohl performs the completed song solo onstage, his eyes blackened by the enduring demonic influence.[5]Cast
The cast of Studio 666 prominently features the members of the Foo Fighters portraying exaggerated versions of themselves, a meta-casting choice that merges their authentic band dynamics with fictional horror elements to heighten the film's comedic and autobiographical tone.[6] This approach allows the band to draw on their real-life experiences while embodying heightened personas amid supernatural chaos.[7] The principal cast is as follows:| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Grohl | Himself (lead singer) | The band's frontman and central figure in the story's possession arc.[8] |
| Taylor Hawkins | Himself (drummer) | The band's longtime drummer.[8] |
| Nate Mendel | Himself (bassist) | Founding bassist of the Foo Fighters.[8] |
| Pat Smear | Himself (rhythm guitarist) | Rhythm guitarist and longtime band member.[8] |
| Chris Shiflett | Himself (lead guitarist) | Lead guitarist since 1999.[8] |
| Rami Jaffee | Himself (keyboardist) | Keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist.[8] |
- Whitney Cummings as Samantha, the quirky neighbor with a fascination for the band.[6]
- Leslie Grossman as Barb Weems, the enthusiastic real estate agent who sells the band their haunted mansion.[6]
- Will Forte as Darren Sandelbaum / Restaurant Delivery Guy.[6]
- Jenna Ortega as Skye, a key member of the fictional 1990s band Dream Widow central to the backstory.[6]
- Jeff Garlin as Jeremy Shill, the demanding executive from the record label.[6]
Production
Development
The story for Studio 666 was conceived by Dave Grohl in 2019 during the Foo Fighters' recording sessions for their album Medicine at Midnight at a reputedly haunted Encino mansion, drawing inspiration from haunted house horror tropes and rock music legends.[9][10] The screenplay was written by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes, who expanded Grohl's initial concept into a horror-comedy narrative that intertwines demonic possession, the creative process of album production, and interpersonal band dynamics.[11][12] Key creative decisions included adopting a meta format featuring the Foo Fighters playing heightened versions of themselves, while weaving in elements of the band's real history for authenticity.[13] The project had an estimated budget of $20 million and was produced by John Ramsay and James A. Rota through Roswell Films and Therapy Studios.[14][12] Director B. J. McDonnell was chosen for his expertise in the horror genre, including his work on the Hatchet film series.[12] The casting process emphasized secrecy to maintain surprise for audiences, with principal band members in lead roles and guest appearances by actors such as Jenna Ortega and Will Forte recruited discreetly.[15][16] Production planning was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, extending initial filming schedules.[17]Filming
Principal photography for Studio 666 commenced secretly in February 2020 at a historic mansion in Encino, California—the same location where the Foo Fighters had recorded their album Medicine at Midnight in late 2019, lending authenticity to the film's haunted recording studio setting.[18][19] Production advanced through much of the initial four weeks of a planned five-week schedule before halting in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in the United States.[20][21] Filming resumed later that year amid strict pandemic protocols and wrapped principal photography over three weeks in October 2020 in Los Angeles, allowing the production to adapt to ongoing health restrictions while minimizing disruptions.[22] The primary shooting took place on location at the Encino mansion to capture its eerie, rock history-infused atmosphere, while effects-intensive sequences—such as exorcisms and murders—were filmed on soundstages in Los Angeles for controlled practical work.[23][24] Key challenges included preserving the project's secrecy to prevent leaks, as the production operated with a small, trusted crew and no public announcements until late 2021, even as the band balanced filming with tour rehearsals and commitments.[22][25] Coordinating the Foo Fighters' schedules proved demanding given their active touring, requiring shoots to align with brief windows of availability.[20] The gore-heavy practical effects, including decapitations and cannibalism sequences, were crafted by a makeup team led by Tony Gardner of Alterian Inc., emphasizing old-school prosthetics and animatronics over digital enhancements for visceral impact.[26][27] Director B. J. McDonnell focused on a fast-paced horror-comedy tone, drawing from influences like This Is Spinal Tap and Evil Dead to blend scares with humor, while encouraging improvised interactions among the band members to heighten their natural chemistry on screen.[28][29] This approach fostered a collaborative, fun environment despite the logistical hurdles, resulting in unscripted moments that amplified the film's rock 'n' roll energy.[22]Music
Dream Widow album
In the film Studio 666, the Dream Widow album functions as a pivotal narrative element, depicted as the cursed and incomplete self-titled recording of a fictional 1990s heavy metal band whose tragic legacy unleashes supernatural possession on the Foo Fighters as they attempt to finish it at the Encino house.[30][31] Tracks from this demonic project, including "March of the Insane" and "Cold," are shown shaping the band's increasingly unhinged compositions amid the haunting influence.[32] The real-world Dream Widow EP was composed, performed across all instruments, and produced primarily by Dave Grohl, with contributions from guitarist Jim Rota of Fireball Ministry on lead guitar and keyboardist Rami Jaffee on keys, alongside engineering by Darrell Thorp and others; the eight tracks were recorded at Grohl's Studio 606 in Encino, California, after the film's production wrapped.[33][34] Released digitally on March 25, 2022, through Roswell Records and RCA Records, the self-titled EP shifts stylistically to thrash metal, featuring blistering riffs, pounding drums, and occult-themed lyrics evocative of 1980s extremity.[35]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Encino | 1:38 |
| 2 | Cold | 5:13 |
| 3 | March of the Insane | 3:30 |
| 4 | The Sweet Abyss | 4:19 |
| 5 | Angel with Severed Wings | 4:32 |
| 6 | Come All Ye Unfaithful | 5:34 |
| 7 | Becoming | 5:32 |
| 8 | Lacrimus Dei Ebrius | 7:13 |
