Searching for inspiration, a band of ageing rockers lock themselves away in a grand old house until they can whip their latest album into shape. Suffering from severe artistic block, the gang’s frontman strikes gold when he discovers a disembowelled raccoon and a Satanic guitar riff in the basement. As is wont to happen when you take songwriting advice from the Necronomicon, the eccentric rocker soon starts going off his… rocker, devouring raw meat, screaming abuse at his bemused bandmates, and experiencing nightmarish visions. Honestly, who does this guy think he is – Dave Grohl? Well, actually… yes.
Dave Grohl plays Dave Grohl in this, the Foo Fighters horror movie. The American rock icon makes for a surprisingly great Scream Queen, switching from frontman to leading man. This isn’t to say that his bandmates don’t get their moments to shine (Rami Jaffee exhibits a curious kind of raw charisma, while the constantly snacking Pat Smear is adorably wooden), but this is essentially the Dave Grohl show.
Directed by BJ McDonnell (Hatchet III), this comedy horror film is part Evil Dead, part Spinal Tap. While the comedy leanings heavily outweigh the scares, it should please fans of 70s/80s era schlock – particularly those brought up on the ludicrous kills of Friday the 13th and its ilk (and check out that nod to The Burning, too!) A roster of all-star cameos keeps the laughs coming while the story potters on to its splattery denouement. A treat for both fans of Foo and old-school slasher films; an indulgent curiosity to the less inclined.
