Studio 666
Studio 666 is a 2022 American comedy horror film directed by B. J. McDonnell from a screenplay by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes, based on a story by Dave Grohl.[1] The film stars the members of the rock band Foo Fighters—Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, and Rami Jaffee—in their acting debuts, alongside Leslie Grossman, Will Forte, Whitney Cummings, and John Carpenter.[2] It follows the band as they relocate to a cursed Encino mansion to record their tenth studio album, where they encounter demonic forces stemming from the property's dark rock 'n' roll past, leading to possession and deadly chaos during the sessions.[1] The film was produced by Roswell Films and Therapy Studios, with principal photography taking place in Los Angeles, California, including at an actual Encino mansion.[3] Studio 666 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre on February 16, 2022, and was released theatrically in the United States on February 25, 2022, by Open Road Films.[4] Running 108 minutes and rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, and sexual content, the movie blends horror tropes with musical performance elements, featuring original songs performed by the Foo Fighters.[2]Overview
Plot
The film begins with a prologue set in 1993 at an Encino mansion, where the heavy metal band Dream Widow is recording their debut album. Their lead singer discovers a satanic tome inspired by Aleister Crowley and uses it to summon a demon in pursuit of the perfect song, leading him to ritually sacrifice animals and brutally murder his bandmates in a series of gory attacks before committing suicide by hanging, leaving the song unfinished and cursing the house with a demonic entity tied to its completion.[5] In the main storyline set in 2019, the Foo Fighters—Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee, portraying themselves—arrive at the same Encino mansion, rented through realtor Barb Weems, to record their tenth studio album amid pressure from their manager Jeremy Shill to deliver quickly. Grohl experiences visions of the past murders and uncovers the cursed book and a Dream Widow demo tape; playing the tape backward possesses him with the lead singer's demonic spirit, which enhances his musical creativity but compels violent acts to "feed" the ritual and finish the 23-minute song, revealing the supernatural mechanic where the demon is bound to the unfinished music and uses possession to propagate through rock artists.[5] As the band records, supernatural horrors escalate with the sequential deaths of its members, orchestrated by the possessed Grohl: Chris Shiflett is burned alive on a backyard grill after confronting Grohl, Rami Jaffee and neighbor Samantha are dismembered with a chainsaw during an intimate encounter, Taylor Hawkins is decapitated by a hurled cymbal when he attempts to destroy the song recording, and Pat Smear is impaled by the band's van during an escape attempt. Supporting characters, including the delivery man Darren Sandelbaum decapitated with hedge clippers earlier and a crew member electrocuted in a pool accident, fall victim first, heightening the mansion's role as a portal to hellish forces.[5] In the resolution, surviving bassist Nate Mendel and rhythm guitarist Pat Smear discover the book's exorcism passage and perform a ritual with blood sacrifices, temporarily expelling the demon from Grohl, but the song's near-completion reactivates the curse. Jeremy Shill and Barb Weems reveal themselves as Satan-worshipping conspirators who manipulated the band's arrival to unleash the demonic song and revive rock music through supernatural means; Mendel is stabbed by Weems, Smear dies in a van crash, and Grohl, reclaiming control but retaining the possession, kills Weems and Shill before emerging as the sole survivor. One year later, Grohl performs the completed song solo onstage, his eyes blackened by the enduring demonic influence.[5]Cast
The cast of Studio 666 prominently features the members of the Foo Fighters portraying exaggerated versions of themselves, a meta-casting choice that merges their authentic band dynamics with fictional horror elements to heighten the film's comedic and autobiographical tone.[6] This approach allows the band to draw on their real-life experiences while embodying heightened personas amid supernatural chaos.[7] The principal cast is as follows:| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Grohl | Himself (lead singer) | The band's frontman and central figure in the story's possession arc.[8] |
| Taylor Hawkins | Himself (drummer) | The band's longtime drummer.[8] |
| Nate Mendel | Himself (bassist) | Founding bassist of the Foo Fighters.[8] |
| Pat Smear | Himself (rhythm guitarist) | Rhythm guitarist and longtime band member.[8] |
| Chris Shiflett | Himself (lead guitarist) | Lead guitarist since 1999.[8] |
| Rami Jaffee | Himself (keyboardist) | Keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist.[8] |
- Whitney Cummings as Samantha, the quirky neighbor with a fascination for the band.[6]
- Leslie Grossman as Barb Weems, the enthusiastic real estate agent who sells the band their haunted mansion.[6]
- Will Forte as Darren Sandelbaum / Restaurant Delivery Guy.[6]
- Jenna Ortega as Skye, a key member of the fictional 1990s band Dream Widow central to the backstory.[6]
- Jeff Garlin as Jeremy Shill, the demanding executive from the record label.[6]
Production
Development
The story for Studio 666 was conceived by Dave Grohl in 2019 during the Foo Fighters' recording sessions for their album Medicine at Midnight at a reputedly haunted Encino mansion, drawing inspiration from haunted house horror tropes and rock music legends.[9][10] The screenplay was written by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes, who expanded Grohl's initial concept into a horror-comedy narrative that intertwines demonic possession, the creative process of album production, and interpersonal band dynamics.[11][12] Key creative decisions included adopting a meta format featuring the Foo Fighters playing heightened versions of themselves, while weaving in elements of the band's real history for authenticity.[13] The project had an estimated budget of $20 million and was produced by John Ramsay and James A. Rota through Roswell Films and Therapy Studios.[14][12] Director B. J. McDonnell was chosen for his expertise in the horror genre, including his work on the Hatchet film series.[12] The casting process emphasized secrecy to maintain surprise for audiences, with principal band members in lead roles and guest appearances by actors such as Jenna Ortega and Will Forte recruited discreetly.[15][16] Production planning was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, extending initial filming schedules.[17]Filming
Principal photography for Studio 666 commenced secretly in February 2020 at a historic mansion in Encino, California—the same location where the Foo Fighters had recorded their album Medicine at Midnight in late 2019, lending authenticity to the film's haunted recording studio setting.[18][19] Production advanced through much of the initial four weeks of a planned five-week schedule before halting in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in the United States.[20][21] Filming resumed later that year amid strict pandemic protocols and wrapped principal photography over three weeks in October 2020 in Los Angeles, allowing the production to adapt to ongoing health restrictions while minimizing disruptions.[22] The primary shooting took place on location at the Encino mansion to capture its eerie, rock history-infused atmosphere, while effects-intensive sequences—such as exorcisms and murders—were filmed on soundstages in Los Angeles for controlled practical work.[23][24] Key challenges included preserving the project's secrecy to prevent leaks, as the production operated with a small, trusted crew and no public announcements until late 2021, even as the band balanced filming with tour rehearsals and commitments.[22][25] Coordinating the Foo Fighters' schedules proved demanding given their active touring, requiring shoots to align with brief windows of availability.[20] The gore-heavy practical effects, including decapitations and cannibalism sequences, were crafted by a makeup team led by Tony Gardner of Alterian Inc., emphasizing old-school prosthetics and animatronics over digital enhancements for visceral impact.[26][27] Director B. J. McDonnell focused on a fast-paced horror-comedy tone, drawing from influences like This Is Spinal Tap and Evil Dead to blend scares with humor, while encouraging improvised interactions among the band members to heighten their natural chemistry on screen.[28][29] This approach fostered a collaborative, fun environment despite the logistical hurdles, resulting in unscripted moments that amplified the film's rock 'n' roll energy.[22]Music
Dream Widow album
In the film Studio 666, the Dream Widow album functions as a pivotal narrative element, depicted as the cursed and incomplete self-titled recording of a fictional 1990s heavy metal band whose tragic legacy unleashes supernatural possession on the Foo Fighters as they attempt to finish it at the Encino house.[30][31] Tracks from this demonic project, including "March of the Insane" and "Cold," are shown shaping the band's increasingly unhinged compositions amid the haunting influence.[32] The real-world Dream Widow EP was composed, performed across all instruments, and produced primarily by Dave Grohl, with contributions from guitarist Jim Rota of Fireball Ministry on lead guitar and keyboardist Rami Jaffee on keys, alongside engineering by Darrell Thorp and others; the eight tracks were recorded at Grohl's Studio 606 in Encino, California, after the film's production wrapped.[33][34] Released digitally on March 25, 2022, through Roswell Records and RCA Records, the self-titled EP shifts stylistically to thrash metal, featuring blistering riffs, pounding drums, and occult-themed lyrics evocative of 1980s extremity.[35]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Encino | 1:38 |
| 2 | Cold | 5:13 |
| 3 | March of the Insane | 3:30 |
| 4 | The Sweet Abyss | 4:19 |
| 5 | Angel with Severed Wings | 4:32 |
| 6 | Come All Ye Unfaithful | 5:34 |
| 7 | Becoming | 5:32 |
| 8 | Lacrimus Dei Ebrius | 7:13 |