Darin Scott is one of my favorite gentlemen to have been a guest both the Killer POV podcast and it's successor Shockwaves. Much like my Pure Cinema podcast co-host Elric Kane, whenever I heard Darin on those episodes - he demonstrated a great depth of knowledge in not only horror films but also in cinema beyond that genre as well. You can just tell when you listen to certain movie fans by the films they reference that they have been deep in Cinema love for a long time. I highly recommend listening to Darin's episodes here:
http://www.blumhouse.com/2017/03/17/this-week-on-shock-waves-were-building-the-perfect-horror-anthology/
http://geeknation.com/podcasts/killer-pov-ep-140-killer-pov-goes-to-hell/
http://geeknation.com/podcasts/killer-pov-ep-136-talking-giallo-with-darin-scott/
TALES FROM THE HOOD is a film that I was certainly aware of, but that I regrettably never saw until this Scream Factory disc. Any film that clearly shows the influence of things like A TRILOGY OF TERROR, DEAD OF NIGHT, The Amicus films and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - especially back in 1995 - gets immediate respect from me. Much like GET OUT, a great horror film that deals quite pointedly with social issues, TALES FROM THE HOOD does something similar in that it approaches the horror with a point of view and with a little comedy to help make it more resonant and impactful. By drawing on the evil that people do versus the evil that is supernatural, TALES finds carves out a more enduring place in horror film history than a lot of its contemporaries. Another things that brings it up a notch is the cast. Clarence Williams III really elevates things to a whole different level. According to the filmmakers, they didn't realize that's where he was going to take the character. The cadence with which he speaks and the look in his eyes is truly fantastic. It could be a cartoony Crypt Keeper-esque kind of thing and it's not without its own camp aspects, but Williams really makes it his own and in doing so, he becomes one of the best horror characters of that decade. The film also has haunting roles for David Alan Grier, Corbin Bernsen and Wings Hauser among others. Thankfully, this film having been released when it did plays to its advantage in that it was still a time of practical effects in filmmaking. All of the stories are punctuated by some lovely bit of gore or effects work that would certainly not be as memorable were it done today in CG. The Chiodo brothers (CRITTERS, KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE) did the cool and creepy doll effects in the Corbin Bersen story and it really works well for me as I love that sort of stop motion kind of thing. TALES is also the rare horror anthology that has a decent wraparound as well as interesting stories within.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary from writer/director Rusty Cundieff. The packaging indicates that Darin Scott is on this track as well, but that's not correct.-NEW Welcome To Hell: The Making Of TALES FROM THE HOOD" – Featuring Interviews With Director/Writer Rusty Cundieff, Producer/Writer Darin Scott, Actors Corbin Bernsen, Wings Hauser, Anthony Griffith, Special Effects Supervisor Kenneth Hall, And Doll Effects Supervisors Charles Chiodo And Edward Chiodo (56 minutes)
-Vintage Featurette
-Original Theatrical Trailer
-Original TV Spots
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