Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II & IV • April 30, 2014 DVD releases (continued from Restaurant page) Kitten learns that Arbor has stolen from him, he sends the boys off on a dangerous mission that leads to a shattering climax. The movie unfolds through the eyes of the boys, whose world is limited to their immediate surroundings with the adult world seen only in fleeting, often unflattering moments. Referencing both Oscar Wilde and Charles Dick- ens, the film has a fable quality. Neither of the two leads had ever made a film before. Casting directors found them in local schools, and they are entirely believable. Although the principal characters are kids, this is not a kids’ film. It shows how society shortchanges its young people. Unserved by the establishment (read government), they are left on their own to survive, and not all their decisions are wise. Bonuses on the DVD release include cast and crew interviews and a behind-the-scenes featurette. “The Demons” (Kino Lorber), writer/director Jess Fran- co’s 1973 horror film, takes place during the Spanish Inqui- sition and is based on a purportedly true story of satanic possession at the convent of Loudun. A witch being burned at the stake curses the principal witch-finder and his assis- tants. Later, she appears in a vision to her daughters, who are nuns in a convent. Eventually, members of royalty and the religious establishment are caused to suffer a series of human depravities. Franco fills the film with voluptuous women, nude or scantily clad, and unsettling scenes of tor- ture, sex, and demonic possession. Franco shuttles back and forth between horror thriller and sexploitation flick, failing to offer enough suspense along the way. The pace is slow and the picture seems padded at close to two hours. The film is in the original French and German, with English subtitles. The Blu-ray release contains an interview with Franco, deleted footage, and theatrical trailers. “Rocket 13” (Arc Entertainment), a direct-to-video DVD release, is about Skip, the nighttime janitor in an Old West theme park, who delves into the mysteries surround- ing an old locker. His wise supervisor recounts creepy tales that underscore the importance of making the right choice. Those stories involve an aging boxer who is given an opportunity to become a real killing machine, a young man seeking membership in a secret society who experi- ences an initiation with deadly consequences, a would-be suicide shaken by a menacing member of a very special club, and a hit man for hire playing a crafty cat-and-mouse game with three women who have a score to settle. The stories come into play when Skip makes a disturbing dis- covery and faces a life-or-dearth decision of his own. Horror/mystery anthologies date back to Britain’s “Dead of Night” (1945) and have gone on to include “Asylum,” “Creepshow,” “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” and many others. The format is not always dramatically satisfying, since the individual tales vary greatly in quality. The sto- ries here are merely OK. The most interesting thing about this release is the presence of Rick Schroder — who made his movie debut as the kid of a fighter in “The Champ” — as a boxer who has seen better days.