"Miner's Massacre" is a better film than its reputation.
**SPOILERS**
While traveling to Suttersville, a small town in the middle of nowhere, a group of friends gather to go gold hunting. Along the way, an old man (Richard Lynch) tells Axl (Stephen Wastell) and Tori (Sangie) about a mysterious legend of the Forty-Niner. The other members of the group, Hayden, (Rick Majeske) Rox Ann, (Elina Madison) Nick, (Sean Hines) and Claire, (Carrie Bradac) arrive at an old ghost town with Axl and Tori. When Axl meets a local Eve, (Alexandra Ford) Tori has enough and leaves, leaving Eve to guide the others to a camping spot along an old mining shaft, who then leaves. Once inside the shaft, they discover the hidden gold of the Forty-Niner. As they decide what to do with their newfound wealth, they incur the wrath of the Forty-Niner, who has guarded his wealth for a hundred and fifty years. Together with a superstitious old woman (Karen Black) and the local sheriff, (John Phillip Law) they find a way to stop the killer ghost.
The Good News: This isn't all that bad as it seems. It isn't that long a movie, and that allows for a very fast pace with lots of great killing and tons of gore. We do have a lot of great deaths. There's a pick-ax to the stomach, an ax to the back of the head, a shovel thrown into a car and into a neck, a people lit on fire, and a decapitation, among others. The shovel kill is in fact the best kill in the movie. After spotting the miner, they all flee in different directions. One runs into a car and tries to start it, but the miner throws a shovel through the windshield, hitting them in the neck. That is a really great kill. The miner himself is pretty creepy. He looks suitably evil, with that greenish-blue hue, a scraggly beard, and those piercing eyes that all combine to create a deadly villain. He merely needed more screen-time since the film is really short. There is a lot of action as well, with chasing, explosions, lots of people set on fire and killing in one fine film. It also has one great ending, one that wasn't easy to guess. It plays brilliantly on the classic false ending that so many films use, but it isn't the one most normally think of using. It's a great twist, and it doesn't come completely out of the blue. It also is filled with a few great B-movie stars of the past in one film. Richard Lynch, Karen Black, John Philip Law, Vernon Wells and Martin Kove all have roles in here.
The Bad News: This was a lot shorter than it should've been. Just barely over an hour and twenty minutes, this definitely needed a little more time to flesh out. There is a lot of stalking going on in the movie, but it needed a little more, because the middle part of the film is a little dull. Once they leave the town and head for the mine, there is nothing for a good half-hour.
The Final Verdict: This isn't the worst horror film ever made, and it does deserve a better reputation than it has. It features four great B-movie stars together with a great villain, lots of action, blood and gore, and an interesting story in a great film. This is definitely recommended viewing for all horror fans, or those that want to kill an hour and a half without doing too much to stress themselves.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Adult Language, Brief Nudity and some sexual situations
**SPOILERS**
While traveling to Suttersville, a small town in the middle of nowhere, a group of friends gather to go gold hunting. Along the way, an old man (Richard Lynch) tells Axl (Stephen Wastell) and Tori (Sangie) about a mysterious legend of the Forty-Niner. The other members of the group, Hayden, (Rick Majeske) Rox Ann, (Elina Madison) Nick, (Sean Hines) and Claire, (Carrie Bradac) arrive at an old ghost town with Axl and Tori. When Axl meets a local Eve, (Alexandra Ford) Tori has enough and leaves, leaving Eve to guide the others to a camping spot along an old mining shaft, who then leaves. Once inside the shaft, they discover the hidden gold of the Forty-Niner. As they decide what to do with their newfound wealth, they incur the wrath of the Forty-Niner, who has guarded his wealth for a hundred and fifty years. Together with a superstitious old woman (Karen Black) and the local sheriff, (John Phillip Law) they find a way to stop the killer ghost.
The Good News: This isn't all that bad as it seems. It isn't that long a movie, and that allows for a very fast pace with lots of great killing and tons of gore. We do have a lot of great deaths. There's a pick-ax to the stomach, an ax to the back of the head, a shovel thrown into a car and into a neck, a people lit on fire, and a decapitation, among others. The shovel kill is in fact the best kill in the movie. After spotting the miner, they all flee in different directions. One runs into a car and tries to start it, but the miner throws a shovel through the windshield, hitting them in the neck. That is a really great kill. The miner himself is pretty creepy. He looks suitably evil, with that greenish-blue hue, a scraggly beard, and those piercing eyes that all combine to create a deadly villain. He merely needed more screen-time since the film is really short. There is a lot of action as well, with chasing, explosions, lots of people set on fire and killing in one fine film. It also has one great ending, one that wasn't easy to guess. It plays brilliantly on the classic false ending that so many films use, but it isn't the one most normally think of using. It's a great twist, and it doesn't come completely out of the blue. It also is filled with a few great B-movie stars of the past in one film. Richard Lynch, Karen Black, John Philip Law, Vernon Wells and Martin Kove all have roles in here.
The Bad News: This was a lot shorter than it should've been. Just barely over an hour and twenty minutes, this definitely needed a little more time to flesh out. There is a lot of stalking going on in the movie, but it needed a little more, because the middle part of the film is a little dull. Once they leave the town and head for the mine, there is nothing for a good half-hour.
The Final Verdict: This isn't the worst horror film ever made, and it does deserve a better reputation than it has. It features four great B-movie stars together with a great villain, lots of action, blood and gore, and an interesting story in a great film. This is definitely recommended viewing for all horror fans, or those that want to kill an hour and a half without doing too much to stress themselves.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Adult Language, Brief Nudity and some sexual situations