A young man, his cousin, his cousin's boyfriend, a nerd and two sorority pledges go to the man's house in the desert, where everyone thinks they're just camping for the weekend. But the young man knows why they're really there: gold. There be gold in those hills! But does a family curse want them to be there, and what about the old caretaker, Lester (Tobin Bell)? Could be an interesting weekend.

Robert Kurtzman directs, which is a mixed blessing. Kurtzman has a good name in horror from his time at NKB doing makeup and special effects. And he directed "Wishmaster" which many consider to be something of a minor classic. The unfortunate thing about this film is that Kurtzman adds nothing special to his resume: while the directing overall seems much tighter than "Wishmaster", the story he was given to work with just isn't as enjoyable. Better film quality does not always mean a better film (in fact, it rarely means this).

The selling point to this film is probably Tobin Bell (Jigsaw from "Saw"). And I have to say his character is pretty decent, as the dirty caretaker of the desert homestead. Although, the role could have been given to just about anyone (it's a big cameo, but still a cameo). So unless you're a die-hard Bell fan, you shouldn't consider him the selling point. Maybe it's the nudity, as there is a good deal of nudity (plenty of female nudity, repeatedly, and a little bit of male bottom). The film has been called "oversexed" and I think that word fits this perfectly -- take the nude scenes out and the story is even more lame than it already is.

The killer wasn't all that great and the back story on her really made no sense to me. And the thing with the religious protection symbols... what? So in one scene the woman has a tattoo that scares off the demon or ghost or whatever, but in another scene it does nothing. And she covers her body in these symbols, all for no real reason.

Sure, there's a few good gory moments and people get chopped up... one kid even gets split not unlike the woman from "Wrong Turn 2" (which did it better). And again, plenty of nudity if you like women running through the woods or desert bare. Or in the tub. Or in the basement. But overall it was really boring and nothing particularly new... which I guess we should have figured out by the way they wrote the nerd character -- if there's ever been a more stereotypical nerd, I haven't seen him.

BURIED ALIVE is directed by Robert Kurtzman and went straight-to-DVD and exclusively to your local Blockbuster store. No doubt a copy ended in a bargain bin when Blockbuster went belly-up and dismantled a lot of their stores. The troubled Zane(Terence Jay)has flunked out of school and is so down took himself off of his meds. Cousin Rene(Leah Rachel)is wanting to extend a sorority hazing by accepting Zane's offer of taking a road trip to an abandoned family home complete with old gold mine. Rene's boyfriend Danny(Steve Sandvoss)is joined by two sorority girls(Erin Reese and Lindsey Scott)and a nerdy friend(Germaine De Leon)of Zane's as the group heads out to be frightened and violated and more. Adding to the atmosphere is the grounds keeper Lester(Tobin Bell),a bit quirky and a true touch of scary. There is the rumor of a an ancient curse being guarded and carried out by a vengeful spirit. Some gruesome images as well as some nudity. Wonder why it went straight to video?

The ole "sins of the father" is mined once again in another vengeful spirit story as troubled college student Zane(Terence Jay)is hard up to find his great grandfather's buried gold and was recently put on probation for not paying as much attention to studies as he was clowning around and partying. He has the dweeby Phil(Germaine De Leon)studying up on Zane's past, letting him tag along for being such a loyal friend(..well, Phil also helped him in making better grades, using the kid's brains to get ahead). Zane's cousin is Rene(Leah Rachel),head of a sorority who will accompany him with two pledges, Laura(Erin Reese;looking like a young Charisma Carpenter)& Julie(Lindsey Scott),and boyfriend Danny(Steve Sandvoss). They head off to Zane's father's home for different reasons. Zane to find the location of the gold, manipulating Rene into thinking that the trip was so that she could mistreat her two potential sisters. A thorn in Zane's side is his father's grounds keeper, Lester(Tobin Bell, given star treatment),a foul, dirty lout who lives all alone, secretly discovering the spot in the sub-cellar where some gold was buried. Lester constantly warns Zane about being out when night falls because of the dangers of the dark. Lester is a perverted rascal who often makes sneering remarks and gestures to the girls, while also playing a series of scare-pranks on them.

A Native American girl was murdered by her husband, Zane's great-grandfather(..who remarried, which birthed the new family line that would lead to Zane and Rene),buried alive presumably where the gold was hidden. Her spirit seeks revenge on all those whose blood derived from the murdering bastard who left her to die a slow and agonizing death. Equipped with an ax and the ability to pop wherever she so wishes, and a very hostile attitude, the ghoul will take no prisoners..all are fair game. There's this amulet worn around Rene's neck which works as protection from death..it's symbol will assist in keeping one character safe from harm. One victim is sliced in half(..right down the middle) while another's face slides right from the head..the ax chop happens so fast in fact that you don't(..or can barely)see the blade. The film spends an amount of time with the characters as they get acquainted with their temporary environment, with Rene, basically a bitch always ordering her girls around(..I absolutely loathe this whole process, running candidates through a series of trials just to join some stupid institution)or jealous of Julie who has caught the attention of Zane..an angle established at the beginning points out this incestuous desire present between Zane and Rene(..Rene simmers with disgust when Zane and Julie flirt). I will admit that I could care less what happened to Zane, Danny(..your basic garden variety handsome jock, a WB pretty boy Rene keeps as a trophy),or especially Rene. Rene never gains our sympathy as she insists on ridiculing and tormenting her pledges, especially Julie, who is playful, naive, and bubbly(..not to mention positively yummy in a playboy bunny kind of way). Laura is the sultry brunette, with silky smooth skin and dynamic figure. She has a thing for religious symbols of various beliefs(..like a Celtic and Chinese symbols tattooed on parts of her body)and is well studied in the practices of other countries' cultures. Bell is basically a creep, nasty and crude..but the best thing about this supernatural slasher, for at least he has presence. Despite a grim conclusion for certain characters, I was rather satisfied..not sure that was supposed to be the appropriate reaction.