The Foo Fighters are probably the biggest rock act in the world right now. Once you achieve this status as an artist, you can creatively do almost anything you set your mind to. Frontman and ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl was apparently ready to write, produce and star in a horror film.
It didn’t take long and the idea for “Studio 666” was born. Grohl hired “Hatchet III” and music video director BJ McDonnell for the production. He also invited not only his bandmates, but also a bunch of friends from the music and film world who helped with sometimes short, sometimes longer cameos in front of the camera. One of them was Jenna Ortega, who shortly later celebrated a mega success on Netflix with “Wednesday” – and that is exactly where the horror fun of Foo Fighters is now available: “Studio 666” is now available to watch on Netflix.
Ortega makes an appearance here that really impresses in the prologue. It’s quite short (for now!), but it’s definitely worth checking out. The sequence not only sets the audience in the right mood for the rest of the film, but also leaves a lasting impression with its astonishingly brutal lack of compromise. Either way, I’ll certainly never forget the interlude, which takes place twenty years before the actual plot of the film, and I bet you’ll have the same feeling after you “enjoy” it.
This is the story of “Studio 666” on WOW
The Foo Fighters around former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl are one of the most popular music groups in the world. When it came time to record a new album, the sextet rented a vacant villa in Encino, near Los Angeles, so they could write and record songs in peace.
But we cannot speak of creative peace for long. Once the amps are set up, the equipment is connected and the tapes are running, more and more strange and sometimes frightening things start happening in the walls, which apparently harbor a dark history. And it’s not just the unusually behaving locals (including Whitney Cummings and Will Forte) who are responsible.
Because the musicians are soon confronted with dark, supernatural forces. They not only jeopardize the work on the new pieces. Some of them even take possession of their bodies, drastically threatening their lives. Perhaps bandleader Dave Grohl should have taken the real estate agent’s (Leslie Grossman) warnings seriously when she alluded to what happened at the mansion twenty years ago…
“Studio 666” simply puts you in a good mood
Certainly, the film – as our official FILMSTARTS review quite rightly points out – has a few pacing issues after its furious start. And the mimetic skills of various band members are actually not that far off. But the latter circumstance in particular also has its comic appeal. Anyone who knows the Foo Fighters a little better, perhaps has seen them live or watched a few long interviews with them, will certainly have a lot to laugh about.
The boys clearly had a lot of fun presenting exaggerated versions of their real personalities with all their little quirks, with a real wink. However, this pleasure is somewhat bittersweet in relation to drummer Taylor Hawkins, who sadly passed away unexpectedly in March 2022. At least you can see him in a good mood again here, as he seems to have had the best time filming alongside Grohl.
“Studio 666” is certainly not a masterpiece of the horror genre. Yet the enthusiasm with which everyone involved got to work here is incredibly entertaining. This also applies to fellow musicians from various styles, from Slayer guitarist and thrash metal legend Kerry King to R&B crooner Lionel Richie, who make cameos here. Even veteran director John Carpenter takes a look. There are also some other original ideas that are both funny and shocking, plus references to slasher and demon horror classics or films like David Lynch’s “Dune” and Kevin Costner’s “Waterworld.”
Jenna Ortega – Drew Barrymore from “Studio 666”
And Jenna Ortega? Thanks to her brilliant title role performance in Tim Burton’s Netflix megahit ‘Wednesday’, she is now well on her way to superstar status. As mentioned at the beginning, your performance in “Studio 666” is quite limited in time. However, the opening scene is extremely important to the film, because without it the story would not exist.
In this respect, Ortega’s order is reminiscent Drew Barrymores Participation in the first “Scream“. Barrymore had the biggest name in the cast, but only appeared in the first scene. The impression it left was enough for horror fans to still positively associate it with the series, which remains wildly popular to this day. A circumstance that certainly did not harm Barrymore’s future career.
Jenna Ortega, who has also been part of the franchise since her starring role in the global blockbuster ‘Scream 5’, is sure to play a much bigger and more important role in the coming years. Still, it’s worth it for your fans to take a look here. Same of course for fans of the Foo Fighters and for anyone who just wants to have a bit of fun with a slightly different, sometimes quite gory, filled with some pretty creative kills and, in my opinion, consistently entertaining horror comedy. .