Tales from the Hood

An eccentric funeral director shares four tales of horror from an African American perspective with three young thugs. The first involves a man who exacts his revenge from beyond the grave after being murdered by crooked cops. The next tells of a boy alleged torment at the hands of a monster may not be tall tales. A white supremacist politician haunted by forces of injustices past highlights the third story, while the fourth focuses on a gangbanger undergoing frightening behavior modification.

TALES FROM THE HOOD benefits enormously from solid writing and an entertaining pace. With a running time of under 100 minutes, director Rusty Cundieff does an admirable job of cramming everything he's got into each vignette. Few of us have the stomach for a horror movie with a message, but this is one that succeeds. It has things to say about racism in our society and says them in ways in which they've never been said before. Though definitely not for all tastes, TALES FROM THE HOOD is a surprisingly solid horror anthology.

* *Cast Note: Clarence Williams III, who plays the funeral director, is best known as Linc from THE MOD SQUAD television series.

I had to wait more than 10 years to finally see this one. Not one single copy seemed to be available over here in Europe. That was until 2007, when I finally got my hands on a Region 1 DVD copy.

If you like anthology movies, then you have no excuse for not seeing this one. One of the best anthology movies of the 90's (it's up there with "Tales From The Dark Side: The Movie" and "Necronomicon", if you ask me). And probably the best horror movie from the hood with a nearly all Afro-American cast ever made (because I can't really say I've ever seen a ghetto-horror flick that was actually any good). Three hood-rats, out to collect some 'shiiit', visit a freaky coroner who tells them 4 terrifying tales of the supernatural.

The first tale is about three corrupt white cops who had it coming... Wings Hauser is especially enjoyable in this one. He already evoked my interest at the time after having seen his enjoyable performance in "Night Shadows" (AKA "Mutant"). And by know I simply love the man. Second story is about a boy and his bruises, which are being caused by... a monster supposedly living in his house. Great and fascinating conclusion this one had. The third tale has some killer-puppet action going on in it of which Charles Band could easily be very jealous. Corbin"The Dentist"Bernsen stars in this segment that revolves around voodoo and slavery. The fourth and last segment gives a big nod to Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange". Enough said about that one. The wrap-around story wraps it all up nicely, and has a very satisfying conclusion.

"Tales From The Hood" is actually more than 'just a horror movie'. With Spike Lee being executive producer, you can rightfully expect that this movie will carry important themes & topics like racism, politics, police brutality, guilt, child abuse, brothers killing brothers, etc. The message always comes across, but possible statements & points of view never become too dominant. This film's primary goal is to entertain a horror audience. And it splendidly succeeds in that. The filmmakers also clearly know the rules of the horror-anthology-genre as well as the tricks of the trade, all to great success. Need I even say that the make-up and special effects are darn excellent too? The tales from this hood, are all winners.

"This ain't no funeral parlor. This ain't the terrordome. Welcome to HELL mothaf*#%@!" In not too many words I want to express my respect for one of the most underrated horror movies of the 90s. Like The Twilight Zone it is a segmented film (although all directed by Rusty Cundieff) that spans across a good variety of horror genres. The real horrorshow here, though, is the domestic/racial issues against the black community. Cleverly (and without being preachy or offensive to white people), Cundieff disguised his agenda with rich characters and a bone chilling conclusion.

The HIGHPOINT of this movie for me is the film's proverbial ringleader- a funeral parlor director. The man, brilliantly and hilariously underplayed by a bug-eyed Clarence Williams III, finds a stack of drugs he wants to sell to three young hoods. As you watch you begin to wonder what eerie agenda he really has in store. These scenes tie all the vignettes together.

Also, the final segment is a very profound statement on gang violence (although beware, this is the preachiest segment). I like to call it A Clockwork Black because it applies Anthony Burgress's idea of reversing violence onto the offender onto a gang leader called Krazy K. Those K's in his name aren't a mistake either! Cundieff underlines a necessary argument about between black-on-black violence by comparing K to a neo nazi.

Like any memorable work of horror, Tales remembers to keep its monsters metaphorical. Police brutality, domestic violence, racial profiling, and gang violence are the most hideous creatures found here. I complement Rusty Cundieff on a job well done there. Excessive campiness and at-times generic camera work keep this from being great, but nothing stops its relevance in the genre.

STAR RATING: *** out of 4.

A tribute to movies like "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" and "Tales from the Crypt", "Tales from the Hood" presents some horror vignettes centering on life in the black ghetto. Some drug dealers go to a funeral home to pick up their "s**t", only to have the eccentric owner (Clarence Williams III) tell them about the fates of some recent customers...with a twist at the end. At once a fun horror flick and also warning about getting mixed up with the wrong people, this is a cool one. A particular scene in the fourth vignette appears to be a tribute to "A Clockwork Orange". All in all, a real credit for director Rusty Cundieff and executive producer Spike Lee.

Featuring Tom Wright (the hitchhiker in "Creepshow 2"), David Alan Grier, Corbin Bernsen and Rosalind Cash (in her final role).

An interesting, at times totally innovative take on the horror film genre. Three young black hoodlums go to a funeral home where a bizarre mortician (an eerie Williams) takes them on a tour and shares four terrifyingly twisted ghost stories. The first involving corrupt cops is routine and obvious; the second is a unique take on child abuse that is creative and fairly creepy; the third involving vengeful voodoo dolls is at times shocking, at times corny, but eerie and crafty in its own right; the fourth about gang violence and rehabilitation is highly imaginative and something to marvel at; the film's unique amalgam of horror and social commentary isn't always on target, but the special effects are convincing, and the performances rock solid, making this a fairly impressive showing for all those involved. **½