Tales from the Hood

Three young men go to a funeral home expecting to buy drugs from its owner. Instead, the mortician, Mr. Simms, traps them inside and tells them four tales about people who came through his parlor. The stories mix crime and the supernatural in a predominantly Black American setting: a civil rights activist beaten by police who returns for revenge, a boy tormented at night by a monster until a teacher intervenes, a racist politician haunted by a curse attached to his house, and a career criminal whose arrest takes a disturbing turn. Each story builds toward the surprise Mr. Simms has waiting for his visitors.

Tales from the Hood was released in 1995 and runs 98 minutes. It was directed by Rusty Cundieff, who wrote the screenplay with Darin Scott; Scott also produced, and Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks was among the production companies. Clarence Williams III plays Mr. Simms, with Joe Torry, De'Aundre Bonds and Samuel Monroe Jr. as the three men, and Wings Hauser and Tom Wright among the segment casts. It was the first feature Cundieff directed, followed years later by Movie 43, 57 Seconds and Meet Me Next Christmas.

Made for about 6 million dollars, the film took roughly 12 million worldwide, a return that outweighed its modest cost. On IMDb it holds 6.6/10 from around 11,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.3/10 from about 198 votes. A critics' rating of 5.7/10 from 25 reviews places it below the audience scores, so viewers have rated the anthology more warmly than reviewers did.