Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • October 30, 2013 DVD releases (continued from Restaurant page) but profitable business of illegally smuggling poor Mexi- cans across the Texas border. Once he collects the small amounts of money these people have, he sadistically dumps them into a ravine. The large list of notorious outlaws he works with lure two different bounty hunters to town: Johnny Brandon (Anthony Steffen) and Everett “Preacherman” Murdock (William Berger). These two have completely different personalities, but their guns are equally fast and deadly. As they plan to hunt down all the wanted crimi- nals together, Brandon defends the human rights of the immigrants while Preacherman is simply interested in the rewards. With ample gunplay, several plot twists and double crosses, the film seldom bogs down, but the central characters lack the impact of Clint Eastwood or Franco Nero from the original “Django.” In Italian with English subtitles, the Blu-ray release contains a new Hi- Def transfer from a 35-millimeter negative print, the doc- umentary “Bounty Killer for a Massacre,” new English subtitles, and an illustrated booklet. “The Beauty of the Devil” (Cohen Media Group) is a retelling of the Faust legend directed by Rene Clair. Retiring after 50 years as an alchemist in a circa-1700 university, Henri Faust (Michel Simon) despairs at still knowing nothing of the true secrets of nature. He makes a bargain with the Devil (Gerard Philipe) that will give him youth, fame, and riches in exchange for his soul. This allegorical fantasy is both whimsical and tragic. Clair became fascinated with what he believed was a struc- tural defect in the Faust legend. He felt the beginning and end of the story were perfect but the middle section was weak, even silly. He also wondered what would happen if the Devil were to ask for nothing up front and simply assume Faust would sign the contract later. This twist and an engaging performance by Simon make this 1950 film an interesting variation on a classic tale. In French with English subtitles, the Blu-ray edition contains a behind- the-scenes featurette and the original French trailer. “Embrace of the Vampire” (Anchor Bay), a direct-to- video horror film, stars Sharon Hinnendael as Charlotte Hawthorn, a timid and sheltered teen who has just left an all-girl Catholic school for a new life at a co-ed uni- versity. An ancient evil has followed her, tormenting her with disturbing nightmares and tempting her with a thirst for blood and other forbidden desires that can only be satisfied by sensual pleasures of the flesh. It is a battle for her soul, and one she is losing, but Charlotte is a fighter. The chaos and torment threaten to unleash her own inner beast, and those close to her may find them- selves confronting their own horrific fate. The plot keeps the viewer guessing as to the identity of the vampire of the title, and there are several graphic sequences that will induce squirms. Though Hinnendael is effective as a naive young woman cast into grim circumstances, the circumstances never convince. They are too contrived and not developed adequately for viewers to suspend dis- belief. Also available from Anchor Bay is the 1995 film of the same name starring Alyssa Milano. Both Blu-rays contain no extras.