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Stars: Clarence Williams III, Corbin Bernsen, David Alan Grier
Director: Rusty Cundieff
Distributor: Savoy Pictures

“Ah yes, the shit.”

The first of three feature-length films on Day Two of 2025’s GASP! Horror Festival was none other than a special, super-f*cking-rare, screening of Tales from the Hood for its 30th anniversary. Luckily enough, I was able to sit with my brother for this screening – a rewatch for Dan, a first-time for me.

Tales from the Hood steps right into hilarity when it opens with three drug dealers – named Stack (Joe Torry), Ball (De’aundre Bonds) and Bulldog (Samuel Monroe Jr.) – find themselves at Simms’ Funeral Home…to buy drugs. Yes, that’s correct. Whilst Mr Simms (Clarence Williams III) is playing his organ, the Three Stooges of drug dealing take punts at one another to see who bucks up the courage to knock on the door. Finally greeted by Mr Simms, who is eccentric as he is hilarious…and relatively sweaty, he claims to be in possession of a big batch of cocaine / “The Shit”, but first, he gives the boys a tour of the funeral home accompanied by an anthology of four stories…

The following four stories, all narrated by Mr Simms, entail the following: police brutality; domestic/child abuse; political racism; and gang violence. All stories feature different characters and actors, but all balance severity and comedy. At the heart of each story is a deep, important message, but they all entail hints of black comedy – some more than others. In instances, some of the comical violence comes off as Goosebumps for adults. Which isn’t a bad thing.

Perhaps, the greatest element of Tales from the Hood is how it truly excels in balancing its presentation of comedy and important issues. Critiquing American systems and systemic issues throughout, with each anthology story comes something to provide a commentary upon. Under the vision of writer-director Rusty Cundieff, the anthology aspect works so well for both the film overall and the viewer. At no point does Tales from the Hood feel tiresome or formulaic, but with a variance in its stories, the viewer engagement is constant.

Quite frankly, Tales from the Hood is hilarious, though that does not diminish the importance that it brings when delivering commentaries on racial issues. One reading of the film is that it presents a comedic lens to help non-Black viewers better understand the issues and injustices that they face on a daily basis. From a ludicrous performance in Clarence Williams III Mr Simms to all-around nice guy, David Alan Grier, turning into an absolute bastard, as an abusive parent, Tales from the Hood defies expectations and shocks its viewers from top to bottom.