Patriotism can be a beautiful thing—but let’s be honest, it can also be scary ..
Hear me out.
When patriotism crosses the line from love-of-country into cult-like obsession—where questioning anything is seen as treason and nuance is dead—that’s when things start to get real weird. Not unlike, say, a horror movie about a murderous dead soldier in red, white, and blue..
Yes, I’m talking about Uncle Sam—that forgotten little 1996 horror flick that was equal parts goofy and unsettling, and somehow still echoes today in all the wrong ways.
The plot? A group of teenagers desecrate the grave of a Gulf War vet, and said vet doesn’t take kindly to that. He rises from the dead as a walking PSA for blind patriotism, and starts maiming anyone who isn’t waving a flag hard enough. Subtle? Not exactly.
But it was one of the first horror films to tap into the Gulf War era, instead of the well-worn Vietnam tropes.
Look, I’m not saying Uncle Sam is high cinema.
It had a budget that probably couldn’t cover a fireworks stand in rural Pennsylvania. But I am saying that the character was a ghoulish and weirdly memorable versions of Uncle Sam itself. And still sticks with me.
Proof that even low-budget horror can leave a mark.
Or a scar?
Don’t even start me on JACKO!
The movie leans more toward comedic horror than psychological thriller, but watching it today, it almost feels… prophetic.
A guy in a flag hat violently enforcing “real” patriotism? Huh. Totally fiction. No modern parallels there. Nope. Nothing.
Just a cage match in the White House lawn for America 250…
Anyway, this 4th of July, we won’t be watching Uncle Sam again—not because we’re too good for it, but because the Twilight Zone marathon is on, and nothing screams “American holiday” like existential dread and government conspiracies in black and white with Rod Serling narrating.
Or maybe we’ll queue up that episode of Stranger Things where the mayor insists on throwing a fireworks show while literal monsters are tearing the town apart. Now that feels like the true spirit of the season.
Happy Independence Day. Light the grill, question authority, and maybe… skip digging up any graves.