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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Your most terrifying nightmare and your most frightening reality are about to meet on the streets.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic brutal violence and strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was featured in an article on the horror film website "Shocktillyoudrop.com" featuring films released in the summer every year since 1979. The article became popular enough that it led the producer of the film, Darin Scott, to give his thanks and praise to the article and its writer.

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Goofs

When Clarence is on the hood of the police cruiser, he says "I actually believed that Strom and Billy were gonna take Morehouse to the hospital." But he's talking to Strom at the time.

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Quotes

Dr. Cushing: What's the matter, Jerome? You don't like seeing black people get killed? But isn't that what you've been doing all your life? You know, Jerome, Cain was the world's first murderer. He slayed his brother. And how many brothers HAVE YOU SLAIN?

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Reel 2 (2020)

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Soundtracks

Born II Die
Performed by Spice 1

User Reviews

Underrated

"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.

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