Foo Barbecue

Studio 666 (2022) is just such a perfect concept for a movie: Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters make a record in a haunted murder mansion in LA; mayhem ensues. And we are even FF fans.

It starts in the past with a woman being brutally murdered in a room with a bunch of corpses. The killer then puts a rope around his neck and jumps out a window.

In the present, the Fighters are in a conference with their record label. Their manager wants to know when they will be recording their new record. Grohl wants it to be special, since it will be their tenth. He wants to record someplace cool. Their manager knows just the place. He doesn't tell them its the murder mansion from the opening.

When they get there, the band is dubious. But when Dave sets the drums up in a corner of the living room, and adjusts them just right, there's an eerie ominous sound that intrigues him. So they decide to go for it.

First, Dave tries to demo some new riffs, but they are all old riffs from their hits. (Ms. Spenser had to clue me into that gag.) Then Dave starts seeing a mysterious figure with gardening shears, and eventually tracks him to a cellar that contains a crucified raccoon, an evil book, and a tape from the band who a died in the opener. He decides to use the song from the tape for the new album - because he is possessed! By evil!

So while the band farts around, members start dying. Like I said, mayhem ensues.

This is a pretty funny movie, not with real jokes, just the Fighters being goofy. Pat Smear (who I vaguely knew from the Germs) doesn't get a room and has to sleep on the kitchen island. Rami Jaffee is into New Age crystals and getting it on with the lady next door. Everyone rags on Dave for not being able to barbecue a hotdog. And so on. It's also super gory - not just people being chainsawed in half, but things like the vivisected, crucified raccoon. 

It's clear that the guys can't act, but that doesn't matter, because they are mostly just hanging out, being themselves (actually, Pat maybe can act - he was certainly the most interesting presence). I imagine I would have loved this if I knew much of anything about these guys. But I think the thing that makes this all work is that Grohl is so wholesome - he's a metal punk, but also kind of a dad. That makes all the killing and evil so much more funny.

Sad to say, there wasn't a ton of great music in this - wish there was more of the guys playing and maybe less killing.

Also, sad to hear that Taylor Hawkins passed away not long after this was released. He had a pretty good part, almost made it to Last Guy.