Powerful

Let's be realistic.

Good concept, poorly executed.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

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.

Horror anthology movie directed by Rusty Cundieff and produced by Spike Lee. Features four stories plus a framing story that ties it all together. The first story is about a rookie black cop who knows three white cops killed a black politician but doesn't say anything. He's then compelled by the spirit of the politician to bring the murderers to his grave. The second story's about a little boy who shows up to school with bruises he claims he got from a monster in his home. The third story is about a doll terrorizing a former Ku Klux Klansmen running for office. The fourth story is about a killer who agrees to participate in a behavioral modification program in order to get early release from prison. The framing story sees three gangbangers visit a funeral home where they intend to buy some drugs from the eccentric mortician (Clarence Williams III). If you've seen any horror anthology movies before, you'll easily predict how this turns out. Violent, profane, and ugly. The much-ballyhooed social commentary is obvious and insulting. None of the stories are fresh and you'll probably feel the need to bathe after watching this.

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).

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.