I am sorry, but when this movie is on, I have to watch for the death of a lad who just robbed a convenience store of a "40", pours some for his "hommie" (a previous victim) in the back ally. When the hears police sirens, he runs off, slips on the spilled beer, and the "40" goes through the bottom of his jaw and the top of his skull creating this beer/gore fountain. You see him later in the vignette with the bottle still in his skull...Just awesome. there is another memorable scene that involves a huge amount caviar, a vacuum cleaner, and a blonde tied to a bed getting the gluttony treatment that is right out of Se7en but with an added hungry little "yipper" dog...guilty pleasure to say the least...

I am a sucker for anthologies and will watch just about any one (except for the sacrilegious CREEPSHOW 3). This one, which got a brief theatrical release last fall, has to be one of the worst. Snoop Dogg is the Cribkeeper and he tells us three stories of ghetto horror. Unfortunately, all three stories are so predictable and, most offensively, boring. The first one has a girl who gets the power to kill with her spray paint from the Devil (Danny Trejo). The second one is a spoiled son who is forced to live with his dead dad's Vietnam vet platoon (including Ernie Hudson) in order to gain his inheritance. And the final story has a rapper selling his soul to make it big. Ugh. This pales in comparison to Rusty Cundiff's TALES FROM THE HOOD (1995) and is strictly amateur hour with the acting and stories. The only positives are the gory deaths and make-up effects. The strangest thing about the entire film is that it is directed by Stacy Title, who made the well received comedy-drama THE LAST SUPPER (1995).

"Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror" is an urban anthology narrated by the ever so lovable Snoop, apparently playing the ghetto devil or something. I'm not exactly sure what's going on with the wraparound story, but it doesn't really matter, because the stories in the anthology are mostly good fun. The film is directed by Stacy Title, so anyone who has seen her morbid comedy "The Last Supper" will be pleased to find her sick sense of humor is still intact. Throw this in The first story concerns a tough but good-hearted street graffiti artist named Posie, who has a run-in with some nasty local guys. She finds herself possessed by powers given to her by what looks like a demonic bum (played by B-movie icon Danny Trejo) that allow her to destroy with her spray paint and she starts ridding of the gangsta scum in her hood. This segment is lots of fun and has lots of over-the-top gore, including a death by 40oz impalement (no kidding! Best movie death ever?!) It's a bit wishy-washy in its characterization and moralizing, but it's an overall good effort. The second tale is equally fun, though the plot line is a bit goofy. It involves a bunch of black Vietnam vets who reside in a house owned by their former white commanding officer. When he gets offed, his racist son shows up to take over the house, milking them of their money and food and space. The problem with this one is the hick son (played too crazily by Anson Mount) is so irritating he's practically unwatchable. But ah well, this one was nasty enough to keep my attention and performances by Ernie Hudson and Brande Roderick sort of cancel out Mount. The last story involves a rap star whose former partner met an untimely death while their career was just taking off. When partying in his hotel room, he's encountered by the manager (the fantastically funny Lin Shaye) who turns out to be a ghost or demon who confronts him with his past evil deeds. While it does have its funny moments, this segment is the most serious in tone. "Hood of Horror" gets bonus points for taking on issues like gender constructs in the street, urban housing plights, and hip hop rivalry and adapting them to a horror setting. It's not always successful but it's certainly commendable. If you don't take "Hood of Horror" too seriously, there's a chance you'll find it a wickedly funny horror anthology in the vain of HBO's "Tales from the Crypt" or "Tales from the Hood." It's strong points are its sense of humor and use of distasteful gore. It's better than all the other recent "urban" horror flicks that have been flooding the straight-to-DVD market. It's probably best enjoyed with friends and forties.

Now, I don't want to say this is the worst movie ever, but it's pretty bad. If it weren't for a couple redeeming qualities, this movie would be at the very bottom of the barrel.First of all, if the production value weren't so good, it wouldn't have even received the one showing it did. The production value is top notch. If it didn't involve Snoop Dogg, Danny Trejo, Jason Alexander, and a handful of other cool B-stars, then this movie wouldn't even be heard of. But it does. There is also one death that I didn't see coming. The others are terribly executed, no pun intended.The opening sequence, while cool looking, is ages too long. Snoop is his usual double g self. "Keepin it real," as it were. Some of the acting is down right laughable, namely Posie. And at times the director chooses to use clichéd camera tricks for seemingly no reason, other than to disorient you in a scareless horror flick.Intentional laughs, none. Scares, none. Smile worthy cheesy moments, a couple.Was it worth paying to see in the theatres? No. Is is worth paying for to rent? No. But is it worth getting your favorite style of intoxicated and watching it with a group of friends? Almost.