Note: The only truly sane response to any political campaign is terror and bewilderment, and as the 2008 presidential contest rockets to its conclusion, the Video Vault is celebrating by watching genre flicks of a more political bent.

the plot: Master Sergeant Sam Harper (Fralick) died in a helicopter crash in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, but a freak sandstorm left the wreckage buried in the desert for four years. After a team of Kuwaiti soldiers uncovers the wreckage, Sam’s body is sent back to his hometown. Sam’s nephew, Jody (Ogden), idolized his uncle and is crushed by news of his death—and by the growing anti-American sentiments of those around him. His teacher (a Vietnam draft-dodger), his mom’s boyfriend (a slimy lawyer who cheats on his taxes) and others all run counter to the ultra-patriotic values his uncle instilled in him. But soon, Jody’s uncle rises from his coffin to extract good old American vengeance on everyone in town, starting with some juvenile delinquent flag burners and culminating with the whole-scale slaughter of some un-American nogoodniks during the town’s annual Fourth of July extravaganza. But Sam’s vengeance isn’t limited to those who don’t respect the United States—he soon targets his wife, Louise (Tremko) and other innocent townsfolk. It’s up to Jody and Jed Crowley (Hayes), an old Army buddy of Sam’s, to end the angry vet’s rampage.

why it’s good: In the wrong hands, fervent patriotism can be dangerous—especially if those hands belong to a zombie veteran. Given writer Larry Cohen’s track record with pitch-black satire, it’s tempting to cast “Uncle Sam” as a look at the dangers of a love of one’s country gone awry, but that’s giving it too much credit. No, “Uncle Sam” is a silly movie strung together with some OK Fourth of July puns, and the only real subtext here is that sometimes, all it takes to transcend death and crawl from the grave is the overwhelming power to be a major asshole. Sam is a plain jerk who uses his patriotism to push people around, and occasionally decapitate and impale those who truly offend him. Sometimes, it’s funny. Sam dispatches a guy dressed as Abraham Lincoln by shooting him in the temple with a BB-gun, a gag that’s appropriately tasteless but chuckle-worthy. Most times, though, everyone in the movie, from Sam on down to Jody and the rest of the cast, are generally annoying and unlikable, and the laughs are few and far between. The only saving grace in “Uncle Sam” is Isaac Hayes, the kindly, level-headed old vet who gets to fire a gigantic cannon during the excessively explosive climax. “Uncle Sam” is one of those unfortunate cases of a stupid-fun movie where the stupid far, far outweighs the fun.

why you should own it: Only die-hard Cohen fans should consider owning “Uncle Sam.” It’s fun, but lacks the spark and creativity of “It’s Alive,” “The Stuff” and other Cohen-penned classics. “Uncle” feels like a retread of Cohen and Lustig’s first collaboration, “Maniac Cop,” but with more patriotic bunting.