a group of friend receive word from a pal who have find gold in an old mind shaft nearby an ancient abandon western town of suttersville . despite warning by the local sheriff and murphy ( john phillip law ) and old man prichard ( richard lynch ) a bedraggle hick who swindle tourist with suppose collectible wanted poster and and kooky superstitious aunt nelly ( karen black ) to stay out of the mine due to it notorious legend ( . that an evil coal miner who sell his soul to devil and murder a priest ( jeff conaway ) daughter will return from the dead to kill those who remove the gold from his shaft ) and these people only see the green and not the blood red which could potentially ooze from their slain body . find the gold of jeremiah stone intact and they line their pocket and carry case and prepared for the bright future that supposedly lie ahead . but and when you do not heed the warning of those you consider backwoods loon and the obvious result will be gruesome death . jeremiah stone and a we see and be lie merely a skeleton near an alter contain skull line next to each other a the candle on top of them light up and the pickax underneath await it master and with dust particle return him to a grotesque corpse with demonic exposition and his eye aglow with wrath . this hapless group and hop for some fun around the campfire with gold provide them with warm prospect for life ahead and will fall prey to the vengeful ghoul and his mean pickax . another victim will meet the nasty end of a shovel throw through the windshield of her vehicle and direct it path straight into her neck . another fail attempt to retreat have stone cause a frightened victim to drive his car into a tree and his body engulf in flame a he fail to escape without harm . another and a local girl search for her new friend and worry about their well be and receive the pickax bury into her stomach . aunt nelly inform those still alive about the forty niner and the curse on those who raid his eternal stash . and pay the price for relate such information . will anybody survive . or and be the entire group fat to perish at the hand of the zombie miner . make up effect artist and monster creator and john carl buechler directs this supernatural slasher without worry about logic or strong story telling and opt instead to allow his zombie miner to destroy anyone and everyone who happen to be in his path . he provide just enough back story and and this be feeble at best and for the killer allow special guest star and karen black ( . oh how her career have sink into the abyss ) to explain to the viewer about him . the story give to u have the miner hold a priest daughter hostage and threatening to execute her a the suttersville authority warn against such an action . startle enough and stone plant that pickax right into her back and with the opposition unload their gun with little effect because he sell his soul to satan . retreat to his domain and the mine shaft and stone send out a warning against anyone even attempt to take what his and the loot . typical of most slasher in general and this bunch of twenty somethings be your garden variety victim and with little development other than some banter and exchanging of word provide a filler until the undead maniac pop onto the scene to slaughter them . they be the usual group and from the city and trespass unto unfamiliar territory and resurrect an evil that should remain dormant . like many of the late 80 slasher and a good deal of the violence be off screen . what be on screen and the minimal gore and be rather mundanely present and happen rather quickly . the ghoul make up for the killer be only show occasionally while he mostly shroud in darkness and the victim horrify face a he catch or chase after them be give more credence than the method of destruction . one thing for certain and stunt men be set on fire many time . at least three time and a character be burn alive by either a lantern or flaming vehicle . martin cove have a minor cameo a black former husband and caleb and now live with a much young and and dense and honey . vernon well ( . of the road warrior and commando fame ) have the back story role of jeremiah stone a a human and still capture the same type of menace he specialize in . john phillip law seem to be enjoy himself a the rather polite and hospitable sheriff and welcome the outsider to his neck of the wood . buechler have quite an attractive cast of actress and all wear tight pant and smallish shirt and show off their sleek and athletic figure and especially elina madison a easy lay roxann and always willing to remove her clothes for greedy jerk and hayden ( rick majeske ) . stephen wastell ( the ghost of edendale ) be axl and a rather clumsy foil and use a a butt of many joke include his dump in the wood scene and current unemployment status .