I remember being about thirteen and watching MTV and seeing the “Learn to Fly” video come on. At the time, I didn’t know the name Dave Grohl or his connection to Nirvana, but I knew the Foo Fighters and I loved how they mixed their awesome music with humor for their videos. There’s something special about seeing Dave Grohl in pigtails fangirling over…well, Dave Grohl. Upon the announcement of a rock music horror movie called STUDIO 666 starring the Foo Fighters as themselves, I became that Dave Grohl in pigtails, fangirling over everything the film could be. The question is did the film live up to expectations?

STUDIO 666 was written by Dave Grohl, Jeff Buhler, and Rebecca Hughes. It was directed by BJ McDonnell. It stars Grohl, Pat Smear, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Chris Shiflett, and Nate Mendel as themselves. The film also stars Whitney Cummings, Will Forte, Jenna Ortega, Jeff Garlin, and Leslie Grossman.

So, here is the scenario. The Foo Fighters need to record their tenth album but it can’t be just any sound. Nay, nay. Dave wants their tenth album to be something completely different, so their old recording studios aren’t going to cut it. Their manager hooks them up with a house that has been used by bands in the past. What they fail to tell the band is that there were also gruesome murders that occurred in the house. Luckily, or unluckily, for the Foo Fighters, the house has the perfect sound, so they set up shop and buckle down to record. That’s when the bodies start piling up but Dave is pushed by an unholy force to finish the song. Will they finish it? Who will make it out alive?

Dave is no stranger to playing demonic forces. He played the Devil in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, which showed off his acting chops. However, the question remained about how the rest of the band would do. With that said, STUDIO 666 is going to be polarizing. You’re either going to love it for its ridiculous comedy and bitchin’ music, or you will dislike the humor and be bored within twenty minutes in.

The acting from the band is okay. At times, it comes across like B-movie acting with a AAA budget, but it isn’t the worst you’ll ever see. Most of the time, it’s pretty good. The concept of the devil and evil in rock n’ roll is as old as the genre itself, so there isn’t anything new in the subject matter. Therefore, the execution here needs to be more important than the story itself.

While it seems like I may be criticizing the film, I am in the “love it” camp of STUDIO 666, but it may be a biased opinion due to my own personal nostalgia. If you are a music fan, there is a moment when Grohl discovers a new riff that inspires him, and it’s just chewy and grimy and incredible. There is this feeling in the pit of your stomach when you hear some really tasty guitar notes and it just hits you. That was the moment in the film where you really FEEL the sound in your gut. I could listen to the music they put down in the movie all damn day.

The humor is definitely on the campy side, but there is a market for that. It isn’t the physical slapstick humor of a Wayans Bros’ movie. But the funny moments resided in how the band members talked to each other. All of them have a comfort with each other in delivery lines that make it feel like that’s how they speak to each other regularly. I’m sure it was played up for the film, but their chemistry is there. It keeps the dialogue fun and mostly realistic.

STUDIO 666 has gore gags in abundance. They must have bought out all the fake blood in Hollywood for this film, but it kind of works. There are moments that put Herschell Gordon Lewis to shame. The visual horror effects are great and silly,d but it is the audio horror effects that were my favorite. When Dave finds the perfect guitar notes, slipped into the sounds are screams, and it fit SO damn well. Since this whole movie is about the Foo Fighters trying to make the perfect 10th album, the sound is so important and they did really well.

When it all comes down to it, STUDIO 666 is a fun little romp around the demons in the music industry, both literal and metaphorical. The comedy will be hit or miss, which is entirely dependent on the viewers’ own sense of humor. The music and the sound mixing are fire and the film itself is really well done. It all comes down to the movie’s humor and whether or not it tickles your funny bone. It wasn’t scary by any means, but it was a ton of fun with some famous faces, some gross gore gags, and some sick rock.

STUDIO 666 arrives in theaters on February 25, 2022.