Tales from the Hood (1995)

Memorable, crazy movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Vignette Horror is one of my favourite types, it's not just the accessibility of the format, but the deftness and wit that is required to create a sequence of short stories usually bypasses the problems which certain horror films have in terms of an overstayed welcome. The structure used in Tales From The Hood is the classic one which was perfected by the Amicus and Hammer studios in the 1960′s and 1970′s, only minus Joan Collins.The 'cryptkeeper' in this case is played by Clarence Williams III, who is a drastically underused actor and always a delight to see on screen. He draws the attention of three local gangstas through the promise of a large amount of drugs which have come into his possession. The catch being that they must first listen to him tell several stories relating to the bodies which currently lie displayed within his funeral home.It only has a running time of 98 minutes which is part of the reason why it is so successful and enjoyable. I am very much of the opinion that a great deal of horror movies now unnecessarily approach the 120 minute (and beyond) when they could have been infinitely more successful if shortened. There are four stories on show here, each relating to a particular hardship or struggle faced by the African American communities of the early 1990′s.It's important to remember that this was an America which was still sore after the chaos of the LA Riots and the exposure of a crooked police force through the Rodney King videotape leak. Once you see that Spike Lee was drafted in as an executive producer, the social elements of the movie become contextualised to a greater extent.The topics of the cautionary tales cover areas such as police brutality and racism withing law enforcement (Rogue Cop Revelation), domestic abuse against women and children (Boys Do Get Bruised), racism within politics (KKK Comeuppance) and the futility of gang culture and the violence it creates (Hard Core Convert). All are delivered with a supernatural twist which places the movie strongly into the horror genre and making it not only groundbreaking, unique for it's time, but also helps it to maintain a strength when watched today.I was aware of the soundtrack before I was aware of the film itself as it was given to me shortly after its release in 1995, it would be a couple of years before I was able to track down a VHS copy. The OST features some fantastic tracks by Gravediggaz, Wu Tang Clan and a brilliant Ol Dirty Bastard track and is well worth locating a copy of.When one considers the depths to which 'hood' based horror movies became after this ('Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror' and 'Leprechaun back 2 Da Hood' being just two examples), it is all the more reason to revisit Tales From the Hood. There's something about it which will greatly appeal to a certain horror fan, particularly those fond of the genre output of the early 90′s.I'd tell you to go to your local video store to acquire a copy, but there probably isn't even one left in your town. Get it whatever way you can, you won't regret it.Read more at zombiehamster.com

Yes, it's flawed, and it's cheesy, and it's over-the-top. It's equal parts clever satire, straight-up homage, and occasionally even a parody. There are many horror, exploitation, and black humor elements sprinkled throughout the movie. I just can't understand why this movie isn't beloved by more people. Maybe it's because the cast is mostly black, and the stories revolve around inner city, black youth? Well, as a white guy from the suburbs, I absolutely loved this movie. It's flawed, of course, but when it works, it works better than most other movies of this type.If you're not familiar with it, this is a horror anthology highly influenced by Tales from the Crypt, an old 50s horror comic book series that birthed several spin-off movies and an influential TV series. It also takes ample inspiration from the Twilight Zone, Tales from the Dark Side, and Creepshow franchises. If you're a fan of any of these, I'd have to highly recommend Tales from the Hood, especially if you're also into Blaxploitation, from which it also takes some inspiration.In the time honored tradition of horror/exploitation movies everywhere, the guilty are punished with gory deaths and lessons are learned (frequently too late). Is it preachy, didactic social satire? Perhaps, at times. But it's also entertaining as hell. It has a great cast, some really cheesy, over-top-the-top acting, and was produced by Spike Lee. For me, that makes it almost required viewing.

For all but the last vignette this movie seems to be the occasion for lots and lots of gleeful indulgence in pretty disgusting racist profanity and other really offensive material - eg the violence at home chez monster in the closet which was really really over the top and next to nauseating and all the stuff that comes out of "duke's" mouth as he's chased around by the little dolls. there are lots and lots of roles of the sort that black actors really hate to play and constantly complain of being stuck with the 2 exceptions being those in which CW III and Roger GS are cast, both of them being a little too classy to offer any of the other negative-stereotypical central casting black roles that comprise the rest of the film. The white actors in this film, actually, are subjected to that sort of casting that blacks have to put up with lol so that's kind of funny. Poor Corbin Bernsen not that LA Law was such a great height to fall from but still . . . But it's OK ya dig cause it's directed by a black guy and co written by him with a white guy (let's sing together now, "ebony... and ivory..." etc) Well, it all sort of makes sense when you see the producer is spike lee, and so . . . I mean basically it has the same problem as the other spike lee films I've seen in that it's fundamentally separatist and whites and blacks can both enjoy making boogie men of each other in this movie. lucky audience eh? makes very strange viewing.The last story, though, was pretty cool though and sort of a tour de force all around, even if it was a copy of another film it was certainly freshened up. I would like to see its equivalent in Gay Cinema which is so full of us vs them BS.It was really cute how they made use of CWII's gap tooth smile :)This is a really tough one to rate so I'll give it a 7!

Tales from the Hood is a unique film...kind of a Black spin-off on "Twilight Zone" or "Night Gallery" TV shows.....the stories starkly displaying the horrors and injustices of Black life and those who inflict those horrors...from present inner city scenarios to past slave times. The writing is good,, the acting is OK...and the messages are clear. The drug and gang-shooting era were upon us to a great extent at the time of this release...and hopefully it helped some "bangers" come to their senses and realize what they were doing, and that it should cease. If it helped in that capacity, then not only was the project worthwhile, but also some lives were saved when it was demonstrated how lives were destroyed and what the after-world could hold for those reckless enough to dis-respect life instead of helping and allowing it to flourish. I do not care for films that use a lot of filthy language and the "N" word, but Tales from the Hood" is a MUST SEE.