TALES FROM THE HOOD 3 (2020)

 

(Directors/screenwriters: Rusty Condieff and Darin Scott)

Storyline

A middle aged man with young girl tries to escape an unseen evil presence, while the girl (Brooklyn) tells him four terror tales, shown onscreen.

 

Review

In the wraparound tale, William (played by Tony Todd) hides in a cemetery while a six-year-old girl (Brooklyn) tells him four horror stories. I like the twist on this, it’s well done.

Brooklyn’s first tale involves a slumlord who seeks to evict a hold-out tenant family so a lucrative business deal can go through. He hires a nutcase arsonist to scare them out. When they’re killed in the resulting fire, he is relentlessly haunted by them.

This by-the-numbers-drawn-out story is well-shot and well-acted, but little else about it is worthwhile.

Brooklyn’s second story focuses on a white power survivalist living in a bunker who rails against those who don’t share his views, while mixed-race civilians outside his property observe. Fans of the original TWILIGHT ZONE series (1959-64) may recognize it as an updated remake of its “PEOPLE ARE ALIKE ALL OVER” episode (air date: 3/25/60). Even if you haven’t seen “PEOPLE” episode, the filmmakers tip their hand early on, making this another well-shot, “meh” vignette.

Brooklyn’s third tale involves an aspiring pop singer (Chela Simpson) who befriends a wealthy, old ex-opera singer (Marie Benoit) who holes up in a study and loop-watches a film of her younger self singing. That the opera singer gets transfusions of blood is not the only odd thing going on.

I like that this was different, in a could’ve-gone-multiple-ways storyline. While its ending was less than thrilling, it had some interesting aspects to it. One review I read said it rips off the plot of THE SKELETON KEY (2005), but I have not seen SKELETON in a long time, so I can’t knowledgeably speak about that.

Brooklyn’s fourth and final story revolves around a punch-and-run bandit whose victims include a relative of a voodooiene. Of course she places a curse on him.

This HOOD 3 entry is laugh-out-loud entertaining, horrifying (especially its use-your-imagination ending) and worthwhile.

HOOD 3, like previous HOOD films, makes for a decent viewing experience even with HOOD 3’s lackluster entries (the first two tales Brooklyn tells). I like how the filmmakers blended their BLM mindset into a non-preachy, well-shot and all-around well-acted horror flick.