With the upcoming release of the Foo Fighters’ horror-comedy film Studio 666, frontman Dave Grohl returns to his most aggro side, telling Rolling Stone that he’s recorded an entire metal album as the film’s fictional band, Dream Widow.
Guitar legend Steve Vai attended the premiere screening on February 17th and has checked in with the following update.
Vai: "Last night I attended the premiere screening of the new Foo Fighters movie Studio 666. What a hoot! The movie is just off the charts gory and funny. Our favorite Foos are cast in a haunted house where Dave becomes possessed and starts doing strange things. There’s this one scene where Dave is trying to explain to the band what he wanted them to play, but he is half out of his mind and starts wailing wildly. Dave doesn’t actually shred as a guitar player, and I actually live a three minute walk from where they were filming, so Dave called me and asked if they could shoot my hands and shredding for the scene.
It was a glorious blast of demonic shred pleasure and when I saw it in the theater, I had to throw my head back and laugh out loud. It was really great to hang with the Foos that day. With BJ McDonnell as director and a host of other fine folks, The Foos made a fantastic movie that their fans are going to 'eat up raw.'"
Studio 666 follows the Foos as they set up to record their 10th album in a dilapidated mansion. “I wind up finding this creepy basement. And I go into the basement, I find this tape by a band [Dream Widow] from 25 years ago that recorded there,” Grohl told Howard Stern. “And there’s this song that, if recorded and completed, the fucking demon in the house is unleashed, and then, whatever, all hell breaks loose.”
Grohl has already released one thrashy headbanger called “March Of The Insane”, but tells Rolling Stone that a full Dream Widow album will hopefully arrive in time for the film’s February 25 premiere. In the film, Dream Widow’s singer, as Grohl puts it, “went insane, murdered his entire band over creative differences and then kills himself in the house.
“It will be the lost album,” Grohl continues of the new project. “It’ll be the album they were making before he fucking killed the entire band.” Asked if it will be released in conjunction with the film, Grohl adds, “I mean, I work fast, but fuck, this deadline is going to kill me. Yes, I’ll get it out for the movie. By February 25th, there will be a Dream Widow record.”
According to Deadline, Foo Fighters star in the film they shot in secret, Studio 666, about what happens when the legendary rock band rents an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history, to record their 10th album. Trouble is, frontman Grohl is creatively blocked, and when evil forces in the house sink into his consciousness, the creative juices begin flowing but so does the blood. Can Foo Fighters’ complete the album, with the band still alive to tour? A new trailer for the film is streaming below:
Open Road Films has acquired worldwide rights, and the distributor has set a wide theatrical release in 2,000+ theatres on February 25. Along with Grohl and bandmates Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett & Rami Jaffee who play themselves, the cast includes Whitney Cummings, Leslie Grossman, Will Forte, Jenna Ortega and Jeff Garlin. The pic is directed by BJ McDonnell and the international release date will be set soon by Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg and Foo Fighters.
Based on a story by Grohl, with script by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes, the film is directed by BJ McDonnell. He helmed Hatchet III and Slayer: The Repentless Killogy, and served as camera operator on such films as James Wan’s Malignant and Top Gun: Maverick. The film mixes scare fare with the playfulness and mischief evident in the band’s music videos. Given its superstar profile, Foo Fighters band managed to largely keep the movie project a fairly tight secret.
“After decades of ridiculous music videos and numerous music documentaries under our collective belts, it was finally time to take it to the next level… A full length feature horror comedy film,” said Grohl. “Like most things Foo, Studio 666 began with a far fetched idea that blossomed into something bigger than we ever imagined possible. Filmed at the same house where we recorded our latest album Medicine at Midnight — told you that place was haunted! — we wanted to recapture the classic magic that all of our favorite rock and roll movies had, but with a twist: hilarious gore that fucking rocks. And now, with the help of Tom Ortenberg and the team at Open Road Films we can finally let this cat out of the bag after keeping it our best kept secret for two years. Be ready to laugh, scream, and headbang in your popcorn. Studio 666 will f*ck you up.”
Read more at Deadline.
(Photo - Larry DiMarzio)
