The Uh-Oh Show is the 8th gore film of Herschell Gordon Lewis. And his first Florida-shot gore film since 1967's The Gruesome Twosome.A film that took far too long to get released. And when it finally did, it just didn't cut it, in my opinion. Sounds like a good one when you read about it, but as cartoonish and crazy as it is, it just falls a bit flat. This movie is about a popular game show called The Uh-Oh Show, where contestants can win big, as well as lose big. Answer correctly, and win millions. answer incorrectly, and win mutilations. An arm, a leg. Whichever bodypart it lands on when they spin the wheel, gets hacked off.
Highlights include another hilarious performance from the legendary Joel D. Wynkoop as the greedy and sadistic TV executive, Fred Finagler as well as a cameo by Troma founder, Lloyd Kaufman. Oh, and gore, of course. I appreciate what ol' Herschell was going for with this, as well as the obvious parody of TV networks and their desperation to boost ratings by any means necessary. As mediocre as most of the cast was, the eager contestants were amusing with their over the top perormances. Still grinning from ear to ear even after getting dismembered, being that they were just happy to be on TV. In a way, this is a typical HGL story, as it has the same comedic tone as classics such as Two Thousand Maniacs and The Gore Gore Girls.
This is a film I've been meaning review for the longest time, but just couldn't come up with the words. I really wanted to love The Uh-Oh! Show, but it ain't gonna happen. I even have a hard time liking it at times, if only due to the high expectations I once had. Otherwise, it's not all that bad. Just not worthy of good 'ol H.G. And certainly not a worthy follow up to Blood Feast 2. This just seems more heavily HGL-inspired than it does an actual HGL flick. Although, the same could be said about Blood Feast 2. But at least that one kicked as much ass as one would expect. It took forever for this to get a release, and once I saw it, it didn't take long to figure out why. The Uh-Oh Show is just underwhelming. It's funny, but not funny enough. It's gory, but not gory enough. It was worth watching, but it just wasn't worth the wait.
The films of Herschell Gordon Lewis have always been hit or miss. This one being a bit of a miss is nothing new. I guess we should all just be grateful to know the man is still around and still going at it. The future of the now 85 year old godfather of gore looks to be a bright one. Keep an eye out for his next gore epic, Bloodmania. Lewis' first zombie film. As for The Uh-Oh Show, any fan of the man should probably check it out, and very well may dig it more than I did. I do hope it finds an audience one of these days. The Uh-Oh Show was good, after all. Just not good enough. 4/10
