Studio 666

★★★★ Dir: BJ McDonnell SONY PICTURES UK. C/ST

Foos’ tongue-in-cheek horror-comedy: released before the untimely death of Taylor Hawkins.

From its title all the way through to its execution, Dave Grohl’s latest cinematic venture is a gloriously unpretentious one, in which Foo Fighters – playing themselves with acute self-deprecation – decamp to a mansion overpopulated with eldritch phenomena to record a new LP. Possession, murder and bouts of cannibalism ensue. Suffice to say, the film takes itself seriously for zero of its 106 minutes and, while its innate playfulness will alienate some, its gleeful commitment to its own escalating farce is precisely why it works so well. A shorter cut would have sharpened its impact further, but supercharged as it is by Grohl’s charisma, and some preposterous levels of gore, this turn of the screw(ball) comedy can be notched up as a victory. While on a serious note, Hawkins’ energy and irreverence are captured perfectly here.