‘Tales from the Hood’
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, 1995

starring: Clarence Williams III, David Allen Greir, Corbin Bernsen and Lamont Bentley
directed by: Rusty Cundieff

the plot: Three young gangbangers looking for a secret stash of drugs get more than they bargain for when their search leads them to a funeral home operated by Mr. Simms (Williams). Before Simms will give up the drugs, he forces the men to hear a quartet of grisly tales, all of which relate to the four bodies cooling their heels in Simms’ parlor. The first three stories—about a murdered civil rights activist, an abusive father and a hypocritical white politician—all make an impression, but it’s Simms’ last story, about an unrepentant killer, that spells trouble for the three men. Simms is much more than a simple funeral director and he knows all about the secrets the three are trying to hide—secrets that will lead them to an early grave.

why it’s good: An anthology of racially-minded tales that pay tribute to “Tales from the Crypt,” “Hood” manages to keep the blend of blood, guts and morality well balanced, all while maintaining a sense of dark humor. Sometimes it works: In the third of “Hood’s” quartet of tales, Duke Metger (Bernsen), a former KKK leader-turned political candidate sets up shop in a restored plantation, ignoring the legends about the plantation’s dark past—especially the story of how the souls of dozens of murdered slaves live on in tiny voodoo dolls scattered throughout the house. This leads to a hilarious climax as Metger fends off the murderous dolls while trying to avoid a suitably ironic death. Other times, “Hood” moralizes a little too much, most notably in the film’s fourth story. In this case, convicted killer Crazy K (Bentley) gets put through a “Clockwork Orange”-style rehabilitation treatment, in which he’s shown images of gangstas killing each other juxtaposed with photos of lynchings and Klan rallies. It’s a little too overt and lacks the humor of the rest of the anthology. But suitably over-the-top ending more than makes up for all that heaviness.

why you should own it: “Tales from the Hood” isn’t the greatest horror anthology, but it’s certainly worth picking up if the price is cheap enough. The DVD doesn’t have much in the way of extras, just a making-of featurette that aired on HBO.