Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260038
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB FENSTER THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Clever filmmaker Rusty Cundieff solves that problem of dull repetition by blending five tales of terror into one movie in the urban horror anthology ``Tales From the Hood,'' which opened Wednesday in Roanoke.
The movie's frame is the attempt by three young toughs to recover stolen drugs from an eerie mortuary. As they negotiate with the even eerier mortician (Clarence Williams III), he tells them the chilling tales of his favorite corpses.
In one story, three racist cops face a bizarre revenge from a black politician.
Then a teacher (played by the director) tries to help a young boy cope with abuse. But the boy doesn't need anyone's help once he finds an unusual way to confront the monster waiting for him at home.
In the third tale, a bigoted politician (Corbin Bernsen) runs up against the curse of lost souls, while the final story follows a die-hard gang banger as he faces his last chance for redemption.
The stories fit together neatly, with Williams linking them in a fashion that is both creepy and funny. Cundieff, who made one of last year's funniest movies in his first film, ``Fear of a Black Hat,'' packs enough rough laughs into ``Tales From the Hood'' to balance the horror with humor.
None of the stories would be exceptional standing alone, and none would have worked if it had to fill out an entire picture. But in small doses, they all work.
by CNB