Page 34 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • October 9, 2013 DVD releases (continued from Restaurant page) “Stuck in Love” (Millennium) is a comedy/drama about a dysfunctional family of writers. Bill Borgens (Greg Kin- near) is a successful writer who has not written anything since his wife, Erica (Jennifer Connelly), left him. While Bill is still trying to cope with Erica leaving him for a younger man, he is grooming his two kids, Samantha (Lily Collins) and Rusty (Nat Wolff), to be writers. The kids are having their own difficulties navigating matters of the heart. The film is particularly effective in its portrayal of relationships shared by various family members, and by the children and their infatuations. As with many films about writers, “Stuck in Love” appears more concerned with the romantic doings of its characters than with writing, a tough task to portray inter- estingly and cinematically. The cast is engaging, however, and elevates this picture from the merely routine. Special features on the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack include direc- tor’s commentary and a making-of featurette. “The Exorcist” (Warner Home Video) is available in a new Blu-ray 40th Anniversary edition. It contains both the original theatrical version and the extended director’s cut. One of the most frightening motion pictures, “The Exor- cist” is based on the best-seller by William Peter Blatty which, in turn, was based on an actual, recorded incident. The book and film expanded on the incident to create some of the most terrifying images ever. The story concerns young Regan McNeil (Linda Blair), who suddenly seems to have become demonically possessed. Her mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), consults numerous medical specialists, none of whom can offer an explanation of the child’s bizarre behavior. Desperate, she begs local priest/psychiatrist Damian Karras (Jason Miller) to see her daughter. Karras, undergoing a spiritual crisis of his own, joins experienced exorcist Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), in an attempt to drive out the evil forces that are weakening Regan and threaten to kill her. Directed by William Friedkin (“The French Connec- tion”), “The Exorcist” received 10 Academy Award nomi- nations, including Best Picture, and won Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound. Special features on the three-disc set include the featurette “Beyond Compre- hension: William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist;” “Talk of the Devil,” background on the case that inspired “The Exor- cist;” commentary by William Peter Blatty; camera and makeup tests; a discussion of the different versions of the movie; sketches and storyboards; and a 40-page book in which director Friedkin recounts his on-set experiences. “The Secret of Crickley Hall” (BBC), a thriller based on a novel by James Herbert, begins a year after the dis- appearance of five-year-old Cam Caleigh. The little boy’s parents, Gabe (Tom Ellis) and Eve (Suranne Jones), seek a new start for their family and move to Crickley Hall, a seemingly perfect country house. But when Eve begins to hear Cam’s cries and a frenzied cane-wielding specter goes after their terrified daughters, the Caleighs realize that the house comes with a lot more than simple, uncomplicated country living. The story shifts between the present and 1943, when the house was an orphanage for children who had been evacu- ated from London during the war. As past and present con- verge, the Caleighs desperately race to unravel the mystery of the house and its connection to their missing son before the evil that stalks Crickley Hall claims their other chil- dren. “The Secret of Crickley Hall” oozes with atmosphere and a somber tone throughout, as the Caleighs have never gotten over the disappearance of their son. Films of this type always run the danger of falling apart if the mood is not sustained and the viewer fails to buy into the terror facing the characters. Because of solid acting, a brisk pace, and sharp direction, “The Secret of Crickley Hall” is an above-average entry in the haunted house sub- genre of horror films.