by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What happens when you take one of the most famous bands in the world and have them record their latest album in a haunted mansion? A crazy and ridiculous time is the correct answer! From the mind of Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters get the opportunity to star in this brand-new horror-comedy. They need to do something special for their 10th album and their (not suspect at all) manager gives them the bright idea to record at a specific Encino mansion that he knows about. We are all thinking it… don’t do it! Unfortunately, we would not have this new film, Studio 666 if they had not.
How does the band do in their film debut? To no surprise to anyone, Grohl feels the most comfortable by far — he does have some acting experience (portraying the Devil in Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny). He gives a fun and committed performance which gets better and better and he slowly loses himself to possession. His evil laugh is quite a bit of fun. The rest of the band, though, are… bad. Some of them are incredibly stiff and awkward in the film. But what would you expect? A few of them have some fun (especially Rami Jaffeee who gets to play against Whitney Cummings as horny soon-to-be lovers).
What about the story? The horror narrative struggles to keep the steam going throughout this 105-minute film. At the 85-minute mark, it could have ended and done so in a satisfying manner. But it keeps going. There are at least two or three more endings (fleshing out the mythos of this manor), but they just feel tacked on and dragged out. There are some pacing issues because it gets repetitive. How many ways can you make the same joke or gag? There is a long period of setup, too, before it gets exciting. The screenplay in general is a bit uneven and hit-or-miss. There were some chuckles to have, but some of the jokes just fell flat on their faces. There are certain characters who feel superfluous and could have easily been cut (seeing all they service is the pumping out of exposition).
Does director BJ McDonnell deliver on his end of things? The film does have plenty of fun personality. There is a big reliance on practical effects. McDonnell, the cast, and everyone involved knows this is supposed to be funny and absurd. Everyone being on the same page allows the film to really lean in and bask in its silliness. The kills are over-the-top and hilarious — one in the bedroom really captures the campy feel the film is leaning into. The dialogue might not be the strongest or most clever, as it goes for the low brow dad jokes, but those effects are really standouts. The visual effects used for the ghosts are silly and purposefully fun. The camera work is quite inspired as it navigates this home and engrosses the audience into the scares and gore.
Time to throw some shouts out, shall we? Will Forte is fun as a delivery guy who desperately needs Grohl to listen to his star-making demo. Cummings’ character is an exposition dump vehicle, but she is horny and fun making her an endless fun experience. Jeff Garlin is their manager who is so angry and always yelling, and he even has a little more screen time than you might expect. Even new scream queen Jenna Ortega makes a completely random appearance for barely any screen time.
Is Studio 666 a fun time? It certainly is! Is it a truly GOOD film? Not quite. But honestly if you looked at this absurd and campy trailer hoping for the next The Exorcist, you probably should check your expectations. This could have been leaner and overall better, but there is still fun to be had.
Grade: C
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