Rock musician Devin (Lanae Hyneman) has fallen on some hard ass times… mentally anyway.
After a disastrous European tour, Devin has retreated to a lw-rent apartment to seclude herself from the world ostensibly to work on material for a follow up to her bands successful debut album, but really she wallows in sadness and does her best to look like a burnt out shell of a woman. She’s pretty successful at that as well.
While developing that skill-set she is interrupted by pushy journalist Juliya (Alice Shen) who demands Devin give her the scoop on what really went on across the pond.
Her pain-in-the-assness pays off, and she gets her wish… and you can bet the freaky farm that the answer is much more than just truck loads of beastly booze and fistfuls of drugs. Supernatural shenanigans ensue!
Writer/director Matthew Packman (who also helmed 2020’s vampire revenge flick Morbid Colors which I reviewed right here) returns to the gritty city with Real Cool Time, which still offers a visual sense that brings to mind the works of Vampire the Masquerade artist Tim Bradstreet, but this time offers us a terror tale seemingly inspired by both the ’90s alt-rock scene and the Vertigo comic books that rose to prominence around the same time… and if that doesn’t tickle the ol’ putrid pickle of those that were into that whole scene at the time I don’t know what will!
Along the way, Packman and his crew present a flick filled with interesting characters, solid acting, visuals that range from cold city streets to Bava-style, gel light soaked fever dream with equal style and aplomb.
Also of note is the main location utilized here; an apartment with enough visual uniqueness that it easily becomes a neo-Gothic, “old dark house” once the obligatory lightning starts flashing and the room-light becomes unpredictable. It’s a great use of tried and true tropes given an interesting new context.
Bottom line, Packman is two for two with yours cruelly, and you cats n’ creeps would do well to keep an eye out both for Real Cool Time, and for what he conjures forth next to delight our eerie eyeballs!
Be sure to check out the film’s Instagram at @realcooltimemovie!
