“Studio 666” a goof that falls flat, despite good gore gags

Studio 666 (2022)

In rock ‘n’ roll horror-comedy “Studio 666,” the Foo Fighters find themselves in a “real” version of “The Evil Dead” — there’s demonic possession, a Necronomicon-looking book bound in flesh, and even some projectile Pepto Bismol. This is a goof, of course, so none of it is meant to be taken seriously, but is it as awesome as a ridiculously over-the-top splatter comedy starring the Foo Fighters should be? Not quite. “Studio 666” isn’t without a few dumb giggles, shameless Doritos product placement, and some gonzo gore gags, thanks to the make-up and practical effects department. Your mileage may vary, but otherwise, this is pretty damn lame when it should've been a hoot-and-holler blast. 

The members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band are playing versions of themselves, indeed. Creatively, they’ve hit a wall and need to break the mold with their tenth album. Their manager (Jeff Garlin) knows the perfect place for them to become inspired and record the album: an Encino mansion where (unbeknownst to the band) another band was once brutally massacred instead of becoming the next Jane's Addiction. As soon as frontman Dave Grohl wanders into the creepy basement and comes across a sacrificed raccoon, he becomes possessed by something satanic. No longer suffering “songwriting constipation” and not being able to get enough raw meat (despite the grill master preferring his steaks charred), Grohl discovers a brand-new musical note, the L Sharp, and he’s ready to finish their metal magnum opus. Before Evil Dave Grohl makes mincemeat out of guitarists Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel, drummer Taylor Hawkins, and keyboardist Rami Jaffee, the band will have to figure out how to send the spirit back to Hell.

“Studio 666” knows what it wants to be, but even something that's self-aware and tongue-in-cheek can fall flat. After a splatterific opening, the mood is set and there’s a tonally perfect theme song composed and produced by one John Carpenter, son Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies. What follows, from a screenplay by Jeff Buhler (2019’s “Pet Sematary”) & Rebecca Hughes and story credit by Grohl, is a shaggy, mildly amusing hang-out before the hell-raising takes over, but it probably helps to be more than a casual fan. Even then, it’s just never as uproarious and wickedly funny as it wants to be. If you’ve seen 2013’s “Hatchet III,” you know director BJ McDonnell reliably pumps out the gore practically. Here, he seems to have back-loaded the most unbridled stuff with a few decapitations and an entertaining chase through the house by some demons. Without a doubt, the most memorable and Fangoria cover-worthy of all is a double chainsaw kill during a sex scene. Even if “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday” did the same bit with a pole 29 years ago, “Studio 666” could have used more gleefully gory insanity like that. 

Clearly not professionally trained actors, the Foo Fighters do still give the material all they have. Playing evil as the one being possessed, Grohl is the most game and even a little creepy. Grohl’s bandmates mostly get to be laid-back non-characters before getting slaughtered, however, the snack-loving Smear and the woo-woo Jaffee get more chances to make the most impression and actually be funny. There are some surprise cameos and bit roles for Whitney Cummings, as a flirty, lemon bar-baking ex-groupie neighbor and spiritualist; Leslie Grossman, as a perky real-estate agent; Will Forte, as a delivery guy who considers the Foo Fighters to be his “second favorite band after Coldplay”; and even Jenna Ortega, whose bloody opening scene strangely mirrors her bloody opening scene in 2022’s “Scream,” albeit with different results.

Not since the little-seen 2013 dud “Hell Baby” has a bona fide horror-comedy tried to rock and miss the mark so hard. Conceptually, this sounds like enough fun for a cute lark. But as a feature-length film, it’s probably best left to fans of the Foo Fighters who knew this would be their jam before even buying a ticket. Everyone else will be underwhelmed and only fitfully entertained during the few deliriously blood-soaked bits and then forget about “Studio 666” as quickly as they would be done with a bag of Doritos. 

Grade: C

Open Road Films is releasing “Studio 666” (106 min.) in theaters on February 25, 2022.