We’re keeping the holiday horror tradition going with this week’s blog. This movie, Uncle Sam, is one of the better holiday horror movies out there but offers some viewer struggles too. I’ve watched this movie at least three times now and, I’ve enjoyed it all three times. As usual with me, there are things that stand out and add to the reasons I like the movie. That doesn’t mean they have anything to do with the story. Anyway, let’s talk about Uncle Sam from 1996.
We’ll get the boring “about this blog’s author” stuff out of the way first. The toys the main character plays with are a lot of the same ones I played with at his age, well the same toy line. He has an original Destro from GI Joe! You couldn’t find a Destro figure when I was a kid. If you didn’t find it at Toys R Us or Walmart, you didn’t get one back then. One day, now that we have eBay, I’ll add this figure to my Joe collection. Speaking of my collection, the boy has a GI Joe F16 style plane. I have this very plane in my collection waiting to be hung from my ceiling. It wasn’t only the toys in this movie that I appreciated though. I also liked the Country Time lemonade plug in the movie. I wonder what that cost? Country Time lemonade was always awesome back in the day. They had Lemonade and Pink Lemonade to choose from. I remember well drinking Country Time lemonade and playing with GI Joe’s on my back porch as a kid. It’s so cool to revisit my childhood via a movie time machine.
On to the story. So, basically an Army veteran named “Sam” is killed by friendly fire and returns from the grave to punish unpatriotic citizens in his town. Sam is the hero of his nephew, the one with the GI Joe toys, but is hated by his family for being abusive and mean. The town, one should note, is unique too. The townspeople there have a July 4th town wide celebration. They have BBQ cook offs, parades, bands, fireworks, etc. Where I am from, you see fireworks shows and otherwise people complaining on social media about fireworks scaring their dogs for the 7/4 holiday. I don’t know how accurate this town’s appreciation of America winning her independence really is. In fact, it’s a big question I have. Are there really towns that celebrate July 4th to this level? If so, please share in the comments. This would be fun to see.
The story needed a July 4th setting to make sense. It’s at this celebration at which most of the movie takes place, at least the “horror” parts. Sam, of course, borrows his suit from a deceased man – a deceased peeping tom on stilts that is dressed like the stereotypical Uncle Sam character. This allows him to blend in very well at the holiday festival. There is a kid who makes a mockery of the National Anthem in a screemo fashion. This reminded me of an interview I watched with Jimi Hendrix. He and the host, Dick Cavett, were talking about Jimi’s unorthodox version of the National Anthem that he had played at Woodstock. Cavett goes on to explain that repercussions were expected. The interview host reminded people, that when sending hate mail, to keep in mind that Hendrix himself was a veteran. I understand that he voluntarily signed up for the military too and wasn’t there because he was drafted. You can watch this interview with Dick Cavett from September 9th, 1969 at Jimi Hendrix on Performing The National Anthem at Woodstock | The Dick Cavett Show – YouTube. It’s a great interview to watch. Hendrix was as awesome of a person as he was a guitarist.
It is to be anticipated but, this movie was cheesy. Of the holiday horror subgenre, it is one of the better ones I’ve seen though. Overall, it is slow and there is a lot of filler in the plot. The kills that happen are almost expected. For instance, there is death by fireworks and Sam impales someone using a flagpole. One disposal that was kind of unique was a man being hanged by the rope on a flagpole. Yes, he was pulled into the air as if he was the flag. Uncle Sam in this film really taxed you and not just your wallet. Of course, in the end, Sam meets his demise to some exploding cannon shells. I don’t mean a modern cannon where this would make sense. I mean a Revolutionary War cannon where shells didn’t explode and set houses on fire like in this film’s finale. There are so many cheesy one liners in this movie too. The poster itself lets a potential viewer know this is coming. A rendering of the classic poster of Uncle Sam pointing his finger with the caption “I Want You…Dead” should be a dead giveaway, no pun intended. There’s a kid in this movie too that is blind and in a wheelchair. He received his injuries from the previous year’s celebration. He has somehow magically won the heart of Sam and has weird interactions with him. When me and friend first watched this movie years ago, we really got some laughs out of this relationship. Another funny thing about this movie is Isaac Hayes in a major role. For those that don’t know, he played Shaft and was the voice for Chef in Southpark (IMDB, 2022). It’s funny to hear him say his lines because I can’t help but hear these other characters talking.
As I close this blog entry out, I want to say that this film’s poster is one of my favorites. I might buy one for my collection one day, if I find one that I’m willing to pay for. The art on this poster is cool in my opinion. If you want a good laugh and a holiday horror themed movie that is decently entertaining, you can give this film a try. It’s free on the TubiTV app right now. If you’ve seen it and want to share your thoughts, toss them in the comments. While you’re on my page, check out my artwork at this link – https://invisiblekatanaartwork.com/gallery/.
Reference List
International Movie Database. (2022). Uncle sam. IMDB.com. Uncle Sam (Video 1996) – IMDb
The Dick Cavett Show. (2019, April 22). Jimi hendrix on performing the national anthem at woodstock | The dick cavett show [Video]. YouTube. Jimi Hendrix on Performing The National Anthem at Woodstock | The Dick Cavett Show – YouTube