dworldeater My introduction to the movie was from some friends of mine who were not really into horror, but owned the soundtrack. After repeated listens to the Tales From The Hood soundtrack from the infamous Studmobile, I was a fan for sure. Later that year, I got a chance to see the film on HBO. I love the movie as well. Tales From The Hood is a very well made anthology horror flick in the same vein as Tales From The Crypt with an urban black touch. The film is a mix of camp, suspense and blends it with contemporary social issues that were(are) important in the black community. Tales From The Hood is a collaborative effort between writer Darin Scott and director Rusty Cundieff, who made a very sharp looking, smart, entertaining and really cool horror classic. The soundtrack is just as strong as the film with an awesome 90's rap soundtrack that includes Spice 1, Face Mob, Wu Tang Clan and more. Clarence Williams kills it as our mortician host (much like the Crypt Keeper). I am pumped that Shout Factory re released this and I am proud to have this as a new addition to my film library.

MaximumMadness Horror anthology films can be a very hard sell. And even moreso, a very hard watch for audiences. And I believe it really comes down to the inherent flaw of trying to create a prolonged multi-part anthology that is to be viewed in a single sitting. Because chances are, there's going to be that one story that trumps all the others in our own eyes that makes the remaining stories feel superfluous at best... and chances are there's also going to be that one story that we cannot stand and have to labor through to get to the good stuff.It's a bit of a curse. Even the "Twilight Zone" movie- a film based on the finest horror anthology series of all time- suffered this fatal flaw.Thankfully and happily, 1995's amusing and thrilling urban-themed horror-anthology "Tales from the Hood" emerges as one of the better attempts at a feature-length horror-themed anthology film, thanks to its unique subject matter, some stylish direction, good atmosphere and a few stand-out sequences. Executive produced by cinematic legend Spike Lee and directed by Rusty Cundieff, the film is generally a light, easy watch with just enough jumps and shivers to keep you invested. Yes, you may roll your eyes at times... I know I did. But chances are you'll be having a lot of fun while doing it.The film's wraparound story involves a trio of thug drug-dealers who arrive at a funeral home to purchase drugs from its flamboyant and eccentric owner Mr. Simms (Clarence Williams III). As they proceed throughout the building, they are related stories to about the various bodies that Simms has been dealing with, leading to our tales..."Rogue Cop Revelation"... A young cop who has been left a guilty drunk after not intervening in the murder of a black rights activist is given a chance for retribution with a little help from beyond the grave..."Boys Do Get Bruised"... A teacher tries to help one of his young students, who appears to be suffering from abuse but claims his injuries are the result of a "monster"... A monster who may be very real..."KKK Comeuppance"... A racist former clansman-turned-southern- senator moves into an infamous plantation house. However, the ghosts of the pass re-emerge as demonic dolls that try to hunt him down..."Hard-Core Convert"... A deranged and murderous thug is imprisoned and then released to an alleged new experimental "rehabilitation" process aiming to fix his criminal behavior... But things aren't what they seem...The two stand-outs in the film are definitely "KKK Comeuppance" and "Boys Do Get Bruised." While they do lack a bit of the social commentary and themes present in the other stories, they are by far the most fun and entertaining entries here. In particular "KKK Comeuppance", which is just a great little throwback to killer-doll flicks like "Puppet Master" and "Trilogy of Terror" and also features some of the best horror music composer Christopher Young has ever written.What makes the film lose points for me are the first and final stories, which I found a bit lacking and even borderline monotonous in comparison to the much stronger middle-chapters. While they seem to be straining to "say more" in terms of commentary and theme, it's just a bit too heavy-handed and the story lines themselves are far too basic.Still, that being said, they aren't necessarily bad. Just a bit of a let-down. And all together, the four shorts make for a very entertaining and breezy 90-minutes of good, ferocious fun. Also, Clarence Williams III is just a blast as our stand-in Crypt-Kepper esque "host" for the evening. So much fun.I'm giving "Tales from the Hood" a very solid 7 out of 10. Worth checking out for horror fans for sure.

Vomitron_G 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.

ccthemovieman-1 This is four short movies-in-one: four "tales,"' so to speak. I liked the first three when I first watched this back in the mid 1990s. I did not like the fourth story. The "good" is that the stories are basically interesting and feature good sound and neat visuals. The "bad" is that they are racially-motivated and very slanted. If the roles were reserved in here - blacks and whites - people would have screamed "racism." It's the typical double standard we have seen for awhile. Imagine if all the black people were villains and all the white people the good guys? That's what you have here in reverse.Even on the IMDb plot line, it says the stories are "with an African American focus." Excuse me?? What if it said, "made with a Caucasion American focus? Come on, folks - stop the double-speak.Another negative is the extreme profanity, including blasphemy. Why I am not surprised that Spike Lee had a hand in this movie?? Those negatives sound like a typical film made by him.I really liked Clarence Williams III as the funeral parlor director spinning these stories. I thought he was consistently the best character. The punks listening to him were the worst. All four stores are horror ones and have different casts in them. All the villains were white racists. Do you think these stories help race relations, or inflame them?