The Honeycut: ‘Uncle Sam’ is a Wild Summer Slasher

The Fireworks Display

As it was the Fourth of July this past weekend, my co-host, Kevin, and I decided to cover the 1996 summer slasher, “Uncle Sam” on the “Midnight Terrors Podcast” this week. 

I had heard of this one, but I’d never taken the time to watch it. Now seemed like as good a time as any. Was this movie a cult classic? Or did it blow my fingers off like a bad fireworks accident? 

The Story

Sam Harper is a soldier who was killed by friendly fire when his helicopter was shot down during a war. His body is returned to his hometown. During the annual Fourth of July celebration, he comes back to life, dresses up as Uncle Sam and goes on a rampage, killing anyone acting unpatriotic.

Honey’s Cut

The first thing I thought when I watched “Uncle Sam” was that it reminded me of “Maniac Cop.” Which makes sense because it is made by the same guy, William Lustig. I’ll say this, the zombies in his films always look really cool. 

The second thing I thought about is that this movie doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. It is largely a dark comedic slasher film. The characters are silly, the lines are cheesy, and the kills are over-the-top. 

But then we get monologues that harp on the government being corrupt and sending the military to do its dirty work. Like, wait. Is this movie about a killer Uncle Sam trying to tackle the military-industrial-complex? 

The biggest part that doesn’t seem to fit is when it’s revealed that Sam sexually and physically abused his sister when they were young, then did the same to his wife. Wait. What? Now, I’m never one to get on my soapbox, but it seemed odd to include this type of subject matter in a movie where a guy gets his head chopped off and placed on a grill… because you barbecue on the Fourth of July. 

None of this really took away from the movie. In fact, I think it’s a good watch for the holiday. It’s like a poor man’s version of Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving.” “Uncle Sam” is a b-movie with funny kills and questionable acting. Don’t think too deeply about it. Throw it on, eat some hotdogs, and shoot off some fireworks. Yee haw. 

Honey’s Final Thought

Holiday horror movies. We now have a ton of them. Especially low-budget ones on Tubi. But there is something to them. 

Before I watched this and talked about it on the podcast, I wasn’t really excited about the Fourth of July. I never really do much for most holidays. 

I have to say, “Uncle Sam” got me into the spirit. After recording our podcast episode, I was looking forward to celebrating America’s 250th birthday. I’d say any movie that can do something like that, put you in a better mood or whatever, is worthwhile.