"They Axed For It" goes the tagline for this junky B-grade slasher and that's probably the biggest warning you'll get at just how lame this is.

It's as routine as it can get as three couples head-off hunting for gold at an abandoned mine when one of them (Carrie Bradac) gets a gold nugget and part of a map from her brother (who was conviently killed in the opening scene). Little do they know that resurrected from his grave is "Miner 49'er"; a looming undead figure sporting a pick-axe who cursed anyone who attempted to get his treasure.

From there it's a lot of off-camera deaths (let's just say gore and even T&A is kept to a bare minimum) and sloppy plotting. There are however a few alright deaths (like the "shovel" one), but really this is so bland, by-the-book, and cornball that it never manages to rise above being the cheaply made and dull slasher movie it is.

They've managed to pack in a bunch of known character actors in roles (Karen Black, Richard Lynch, and others show-up in bit roles) and I suppose the effects could've been worse; but this is poorly acted, has lots of weak attempts at humour (it even resorts to using diaherra to get laughs), and just isn't that good.

If you've seen director John Carl Buechler (who's done tons of genre movies and even directed one of the Friday The 13th sequels with part seven) then you might wonder if he cast himself to play the killer (the resembleance is pretty close - save the make-up) and you gotta love the logic behind the characters when they learn the brother's cabin is trashed but they decide he must be at the mine. However, my "favourite" moments have to be the "pick-axe in the arm stump" one and the line of dialogue, "burn him until he's dust, then burn the dust". (Chris Hartley, 10/7/04)

Directed By: John Carl Buechler.
Written By: Antonio Olivas.

Starring: Sean Hines, Carrie Bradac, Steve Wastell, Sangi.

aka: Curse Of The Forty-Niner.