‘Chill or be Chilled.’
Tales from the Hood is a 1995 American horror anthology feature film directed by Rusty Cundieff from a screenplay co-written with Darin Scott. It was executive produced by Spike Lee.
The film presents four short African American-themed horror stories, presented within a frame story of three drug dealers buying some “found” drugs from an eccentric and funeral director.
In 2018, Tales from the Hood 2 was released.
Scream Factory released a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray on April 18, 2017. It comes with a slipcover that features newly-commissioned front-facing artwork by Joel Robinson (The Serpent and the Rainbow, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Black Christmas). The reverse side showcases the original theatrical poster art.
In South Central, Los Angeles, a trio gang of drug dealers, Stack (Joe Torry), Ball (De’aundre Bonds) and Bulldog (Samuel Monroe Jr.), arrive at Simms’ Funeral Home to purchase some drugs from Mr. Simms (Clarence Williams III), the mortuary’s eccentric owner.
Mr. Simms claims that he found the drugs in an alley and has them safely stored in the mortuary. He asks the dealers to help him get the drugs and, as the four make their way through the building, relates stories about some of his recent “customers”…
Reviews:
“Smarter than Bones, with a grander scale than Def by Temptation, and well, it’s not Vampire in Brooklyn, TFTH follows the standard Tales from the Crypt anthology format, but each story addresses a pressing “urban” issue of the day — parallel parking, for instance.” Black Horror Movies
“The movie is scary in places, particularly the ‘KKK Comeuppance’ story – those dolls are really creepy. So what if the movie is didactic and less than subtle. Sometimes these issues need to be expressed didactically and unsubtly.” Mikel J Koven, Blaxploitation Films
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” …both fails to be the witty satire that it was promoted as being and the serious scarefest it actually aspires to be. More tedious than fun, more innocuous than scary, Tales from the Hood doesn’t amount to much.” Michael Dequina, The Movie Report
“After a shaky start, Tales from the Hood improves as it progresses. By the time it reaches “Hard-Core Converts” and the payoff for the framing story, an initially clunky and shrill movie has cultivated a sense of righteous anger. As befits a Spike Lee production, Tales from the Hood is about issues important and timely.” Nathan Rabin, A.V. Club
“Not content to simply deliver a conciliatory, better-late-than-never effort, Rusty Cundieff crafted a film that both revels in its roots and cleverly updates them.” Brett Galman, Oh, the Horror!
“A moral conscience is at work in this entertaining and disturbing film.” John Stanley, Creature Features
Cast and characters:
- ‘Welcome to My Mortuary (framing segments)’
- Clarence Williams III as Mr. Simms
- Joe Torry as Stack
- Samuel Monroe, Jr. as Bulldog
- De’Aundre Bonds as Ball
- ‘Rogue Cop Revelation’
- Tom Wright as Martin Moorehouse
- Anthony Griffith as Clarence
- Wings Hauser as Strom
- Michael Massee as Newton
- Duane Whitaker as Billy
- ‘Boys Do Get Bruised’
- Brandon Hammond as Walter Johnson
- Rusty Cundieff as Richard Garvy
- Paula Jai Parker as Sissy Johnson
- David Alan Grier as Carl
- ‘KKK Comeuppance’
- Corbin Bernsen as Duke Metger
- Roger Guenveur Smith as Rhodie
- Art Evans as Eli
- ‘Hard-Core Convert’
- Lamont Bentley as Jerome “Crazy K” Johns
- Rosalind Cash as Doctor Cushing
Trailer:
