The Last Days of Livermore Review!
Nathan Hine, a.k.a. Harry Collins, the director and writer of The Last Days of Livermore is probably one of the most passionate and dedicated individuals into the art of gore cinema you will ever meet. Hine has a blog on YouTube called Hardgore Core Reviews (https://www.youtube.com/user/nateghine32) where he features different gore films and gives his two cents on them. Donning his trademark assortment of ski masks, Hine enlightens all those about the world of film gore. Hine has also started an elite gore group on Facebook which goes by the same moniker of Hardgore Core which I am a member of. Hine has also dabbled in different extra’s roles in different movies over the years, such as Alexander Sharglaznov’s Zombie Infection, Traces of Gore, Ron Bonk’s upcoming House Shark, Fred Vogel’s The Interview and more. It was only a matter of time for his hobby to get serious and create some celluloid gore of his own.
With the help of fellow dedicated “Primo” gore fiend and friend Darren Ricci, The Last Days of Livermore has been created. Honorable mentions must be given to Jake Frye for the splashy gore effects, and to Will England and David Jannarone for the haunting, memorable and very effective music. It may seem silly to some but I believe a proper soundtrack can open up a whole new set of doorways to making a movie experience much more powerful, and in this case the score really takes this short film up a notch. The camera work by Hine and Ricci is really awesome, as well as they take full advantage of their haunted surroundings, an old cemetery in their home state of Pennsylvania. We get plenty of interlaced shots of beautiful yet haunting forests, foggy and misty surroundings and different landscapes which add a haunting beauty.
The story seems straightforward but it is actually not so simple once you realize what is actually going on. The movie has a couple played by Hine and Kayla Lander who are making their way to The Livermore Cemetery, a place which seems to have some deep meaning for the couple. Hine is noticeably distant as the two walk to the cemetery. Then the events that unfold between the couple are bizarre, gory and visually appealing to the gorehound. At first glance I was wondering why Hine’s girlfriend is ripping herself apart and then it finally kicked in about the more supernatural essence the movie was taking on.
There is minimal dialogue but the two cast members give competent enough performances. The short is definitely not flawless. It relies on atmosphere, scenery shots and music more so than concentrating on characters or clever dialogue. It is simple and effective and delivers some great gore but when Lander is ripping into herself the noticeable flinging of buckets of blood sort of make it cheesy, and overkill but it is the director’s cut so we definitely and literally get buckets of blood in this.
Hine is working on another upcoming film titled The Sideling Hill which looks like another atmospheric and chilling gore piece. In the case of The Last Days of Livermore and the trailers for the upcoming The Sideling Hill the location is really used in such an effective and impressive manner. Hine and co have really taken their love for the genre and are putting hard work into creating impressive films themselves. I highly recommend checking out The Last Days of Livermore and The Sideling Hill by contacting Nathan Hine or his alter ego Harry Collins on Facebook or checking out The Last Days of Livermore and The Sideling Hill Facebook pages. It’s impressive low budget indie film making worth your time.
Directed by: Nathan Hine | Written by: Nathan Hine | Produced by: Nathan Hine, Darren Ricci | Cinematography by: Nathan Hine, Darren Ricci | Editing by: Nathan Hine | Music by: Will England, David Jannarone | Special Effects: Jake Frye, Darren Ricci, Nathan Hine | Cast: Kayla Lander, Nathan Hine | Year: 2017 | Country: USA | Language: English | Colour: Colour | Runtime: 19min
Studio: Hardgore Core Productions
