Right, well it is no secret that I definitely wasn't a fan of the 2021 anthology "The United States of Horror: Chapter 1", and have rated it a mere three out of ten stars. So why opt to sit down and watch the 2022 sequel titled "The United States of Horror: Chapter 2" you might ask? Well, solely because there is a slight chance that the sequel would prove more enjoyable than the predecessor. Highly doubtful, of course, but the chance is there.
And on that account, and with it being a horror movie I hadn't already seen, I opted to sit down and give "The United States of Horror: Chapter 2" a chance. Needless to say that I wasn't exactly harboring much of any grand expectations to creator and director Simon Phillips.
The first segment was titled "Cole & Colette" and was taking place in California. The acting performances were good here, but the script and storyline was rather simplistic and generic.
"He Rang" is the second segment and is taking place in Idaho. It was a fast-paced storyline, and it actually proved to be entertaining. Good acting performances here as well.
Then the third segment in the anthology is "Your Turn". Not much of a horror story here, and it was over just as it had started. This was a rather disappointing segment.
The fourth segment is set in Oklahoma and is titled "Doubt". It was also over just as it had started. And it too was a massively disappointing segment. It was so short that you can't even form an opinion on the acting performances.
"Kevin, Dear" is the fifth segment and it is playing out in Alaska. This segment had some great comedy to it in the dialogue, and I definitely enjoyed that. I have to say that this was without a doubt the most enjoyable of the segments.
Segment number six is "Mama Lou's Bridge" and it takes place in Arkansas. It was a tale of an urban legend, and it was actually not all too bad. But it was something that has been done countless times in other horror movies, so it wasn't anything particularly new or refreshing.
The seventh segment is titled "Song of the Resurrector" and is set to take place in North Dakota. It has a very unique and distinct sound and presentation to it, making it an outstanding segment to say the least. There was something aestethic to the cinematography here, which I definitely like. Plus, it had some good metal music playing throughout the course of the narrative. It was actually very reminiscent of a metal music video.
"Star in the Mirror" is the title of the eigth segment, and it takes place in Maryland. The storyline in this segment was definitely not one that found a fitting with my preference in horror and storytelling. The acting performances were good, though. And what was up with the elf with the insanely fake fangs?
Moving on to New Mexico for the ninth segment, which is titled "Matrimony". It wasn't exactly a particularly interesting storyline, but it wasn't among the worst of segments.
And that leads us right to Louisiana, for the tenth segment, which is titled "August". Ugh, that was a very laughable and bad storyline. And I would say that it is the worst of the segments in this horror anthology. And the CGI in this segment was painful to watch.
Wisconsin was the setting for the eleventh segment, titled "Unassuming". It was a short and rather forgettable segment. Not bad, but not outstanding. Sort of left me with a meh feeling and a shrug as I moved on to the next segment.
The twelth and final segment is titled "A New York State of Mind" and is, surprisingly, set in New York. This was an insanely amateurish segment and felt so very out of place with the rest of the segments, as they were definitely in a league well above what the director of "A New York State of Mind" managed to deliver.
While Doug Bradley certainly is a horror icon, and has a very recognizable voice, it just still baffles me why they opted to have a British narrator for a horror anthology taking place in America. It puzzled me in the first anthology, and it still puzzles me in the sequel.
"The United States of Horror: Chapter 2" was every bit as bland and generic as the 2021 predecessor. So it was not 74 minutes well-spent on watching it.
My rating of "The United States of Horror: Chapter 2" lands on a three out of ten stars.
