That’s What I Call Irony and Gluttony All Rolled Up Into One Messy Package
Main Cast: Snoop Dogg, Pooch Hall
Director: Stacy Title
Each year there are movies produced that are never seen by the public. Their content is considered too graphic, too disturbing, too shocking for general audiences. This is one of those films.
In the opening animated sequence to this film, a street hood named Devon is in a shootout with another hood when a stray bullet takes out Devon’s sister. Heartbroken, the thug makes a deal with the devil to bring his sister back. In exchange, Devon will serve as a Hound of Hell. This is the framing device for our movie.
SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR is a classic anthology film, containing three short tales of moral enlightenment in which corrupt main characters are faced with a life changing choice to make, determining which path their destiny will take, Heaven or Hell. And if they make the wrong choice, Devon (Snoop Dogg) will be there to usher them on to the afterlife in Hell.
In the first story, Crossed Out, Posie (Daniella Alonso, THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2, WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END) is an artist in the hood, given an opportunity to paint a beautiful mural on the outside of her local church. Instead, she wants to tag alley walls and make her mark that way. When she’s captured by a derelict (Danny Trejo) one day and tattooed with a skeletal hand on her own arm, Posie is given the power to give or take life. The intention is to get Posie to create something beautiful for her church and her community, but when she realizes she can take out her competition with a simple slash of paint across their own tags, the streets get a little cleaner, but Posie is no closer to achieving her true destiny.
In The Scumlord, Tex Jr. (Anson Mount, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Hell on Wheels) is trying to gain his inheritance, but in order to do that, he’s got to spend one year in the veteran’s home his father set up to care for his old Army buddies. However, if the old men die before that year is up, Tex is free to collect his money and get the hell out the hood once and for all. Hmm, decisions decisions, what’s a redneck to do? Tex Jr. is given all the opportunities a guy could hope for in order to gain some balance and a conscience, but his sights are too focused on the riches to come, and he doesn’t notice the old men he’s tormenting aren’t exactly as feeble as he’d assumed.
The final installment, Rhapsody Askew, tells the story of young rapper SOD (Pooch Hall, Ray Donovan) who promises the Lord he’ll be a good person, only to go back on his word once fame and fortune come his way. His partner Quon (Aires Spears, MADTv), the Jazzy Jeff to his Fresh Prince, tries to keep him grounded, but the idea of being a “big star” is too much for SOD and he just might have to stop in this store for a celebration 40 at the exact time it’s getting robbed. Sure hope Quon doesn’t get in the robber’s way, that’s how mf’ers get shot!
After so many anthology films have disappointed over the years, I was reluctant to give SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORRORS a try but Snoop Dogg is always fun to watch, so how could I pass it up? Besides, as the “secret ninth” film in the original 8 Films to Die For series, I kinda had to, right?
Conceived by John McHugh (producer of CROSSROADS and REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA) and Tim Sullivan (writer of 2001 MANIACS and 2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS), they wanted to make an anthology film to be hosted, specifically, by Snoop. The segments were written by a number of writers, Jacob Hair, Tim Sullivan, Chris Kobin, and John McHugh, with direction from Stacy Title (THE BYE BYE MAN), and features guest stars galore. Billy Dee Williams, Jason Alexander, Ernie Hudson, and Danny Trejo all lend their talents and all leave their mark on the movie.
As hesitant as I was, every single thing about this movie was so much fun. The gore is over the top without being gratuitous, and the humor is just understated enough that the movie doesn’t become a comedy. The acting is never really quite perfect, with the possible exception of Anson Mount who was obviously having way too much fun playing redneck Tex. Jr. Watching these people who are so NOT from the hood (Pooch Hall was born in Brockton, MA) act like they are isn’t always convincing, but still there’s something just so damn watchable about this movie, it’s hard to look away or to really criticize it too harshly.
On the downside, I think Snoop himself is such a character that a lot of people are going to unfairly dismiss this movie just because he’s the “host”, and that’s a big mistake. SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR is entertaining as Hell, what more could you ask for? I enjoyed the stories and the fact that their messages were present without being too in your face–but still obvious and upfront–and that, in the end, the stories didn’t seem ultimately pointless. Sue me, I like a story to have a point, an object lesson if you will. I also appreciate that Title doesn’t seem to shy away from anything, lets the story flow without censor, understanding that to hold back in a movie like this for the sake of some imagined sense of “good taste” is the absolute wrong way to go and will only hurt the movie. I mean you’re already telling a story in which Snoop Dogg is a Hound of Hell, the stage is set for ridiculousness galore, so just let the cheese fly and see what happens, and that’s exactly what Title did, and, in my opinion, it totally worked.
It’s probably a good thing SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR wasn’t included in the “official” 8 Films to Die For package as the tone of it is so far removed from the other films, but I’m also glad the movie was given a chance to be seen in association with the festival anyway, as I think that, for all its flaws, it’s still one of the most entertaining of the bunch. Personally I can’t see how anyone could not enjoy this movie to some degree.
8 Films to Die For – Series One
C. Dennis Moore is the author of over 60 published short stories and novellas in the speculative fiction genre. Most recent appearances are in the Dark Highlands 2, What Fears Become, Dead Bait 3 and Dark Highways anthologies. His novels are Revelations, and the Angel Hill stories, The Man in the Window, The Third Floor, and The Flip.
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