Tales from the Hood (1995)

A funeral director tells four strange tales of horror with an African American focus to three drug dealers he traps in his place of business.

Director:

Rusty Cundieff

Writers:

Rusty Cundieff, Darin Scott

Stars:

Clarence Williams III, Corbin Bernsen, Joe Torry

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clarence Williams III	...	Mr. Simms
Joe Torry	...	Stack
De'aundre Bonds	...	Ball
Samuel Monroe Jr.	...	Bulldog (as Sam Monroe)
Wings Hauser	...	Strom
Tom Wright	...	Martin Moorehouse
Anthony Griffith	...	Clarence
Michael Massee	...	Newton
Duane Whitaker	...	Billy
David Alan Grier	...	Carl
Brandon Hammond	...	Walter
Rusty Cundieff	...	Richard
Paula Jai Parker	...	Sissy
Corbin Bernsen	...	Duke Metger
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Rhodie (as Roger Smith)

Storyline

Four short, moralistic horror vignettes (a la EC Comics) that deal with mostly black characters. The framing story introduces three youths out to pick up a drug shipment at a funeral parlor from the strange director, Mr. Simms. As the three punks wind their way through the parlor, Mr. Simms tells them the last stories of some of his more interesting clients.

---

Plot Keywords:

revenge from beyond the grave | killer doll | civil rights activist | murder cover up | horror host | 

---

Taglines:

Where nightmares and reality meet on the street

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic brutal violence and strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Funeral director (Clarence Williams III) says he is not a drug dealer. Williams later played drug lord Samson Simpson in Half Baked (1998).

---

Goofs

In the tale of the crooked cops: The name of the murdered man who seeks revenge is listed in the police database as "Martin Ezekell Moorehouse", but his tombstone reads "Martin Ezekiel Moorehouse".

---

Quotes

Carl: [monster voice] Walter you little motherfucker.
Carl: [shows Walter the drawing] You like to draw fucked up pictures of people huh?
Carl: [walks up to Walter and grabs him by his shirt, his voice is now normal but still angry] HUH?

---

Alternate Versions

In most broadcast TV versions, along with omitting/replacing the profanity, some versions show Walter's body in the casket at the end of his story "Boys Do Get Bruised" instead of the charred remains of his mother's abusive boyfriend Carl.

---

Connections

Featured in The Making of 'Tales from the Hood' (1995)

---

Soundtracks

The Grave
Performed by N.G.N. Featuring Killa

User Reviews

Surprisingly Good

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Welcome to My Mortuary

Filming Locations:

2261 West 21st Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,898,983, 29 May 1995

Gross USA:

$11,837,928

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,837,928

Company Credits

Production Co:

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Savoy Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1