Studio 666
Netflix is being a little pokey with sending out discs, so this is a belated review for what should have been a Halloween viewing. Studio 666 is a movie about a band by the name of Foo Fighters, who are behind with their latest release, and need to find an inspiring new location to record. They're led to an abandoned mansion, which was this site of some grisly murders some years ago. Hijinks ensue.
Full disclosure: I have no familiarity with the Foo Fighters, don't know any of their songs, or any of their history. This may or may not be relevant to one's enjoyment of the movie.
This is not a good movie. Is it a comedy with horror elements? A faux rockumentary with horror elements? A horror movie with rock elements? A vanity project? Regardless, it's lifeless, mostly unfunny, drag that with a paper-thin story line. Some of the acting is passable, while some players seem uncomfortable with the whole thing. It doesn't bother to wink at the audience, even as so much of the story is filled in with rock and horror cliches recycled from much better films.
There is a considerable amount of gore, and some of the kills are inventive, if that's your sort of thing. But none of that is enough to make the effort even remotely interesting.
The band spends some time making music. Is that enough to make it worth watching for fans? I don't have any way to judge, since I didn't really care for it, but that isn't really the main focus of the movie, so it doesn't seem like it would be enough to sustain interest.
Audio and visuals are OK, but nothing really stands out. John Carpenter contributes to the musical theme, and it almost sets the stage for an 80's vibe at the beginning of the movie that fits perfectly with the cover art, but that feeling quickly fades. The DTS 7.1 soundtrack is serviceable, but there's a scene at the end of the movie that definitely could have benefitted from some overhead speaker action.
Maybe I'm off the mark here, but for a movie that revolves around finding an interesting sound stage for their project, the music in the movie sure sounded like it was recorded in a studio rather than the hard-surfaced space that was featured in the movie. According to an interview in Rolling Stone, their album Medicine at Midnight was recorded in the same mansion that was featured in the movie. If I had any actual interest in the band or this movie it would be interesting to compare the sound of both side-by-side.
I did not care for this movie, but will concede the possibility that fans of the band might find some of the antics amusing, depending how well the band's members are portrayed. As a horror movie, there's nothing here you haven't seen before, other than the aforementioned creative kills, which aren't enough to elevate it above grade C schlock that has been out there for decades.
Scott
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