Polanski’s ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ Lugosi’s ‘White Zombie’: scary stuff

Horror films do not thrill me, but more elegant efforts sometimes offer an irresistible chill. Such is the case with two films decades apart in time but similarly atmospheric.

The older of the two is 1932’s “White Zombie,” an early stab at zombie-themed material that stars Bela Lugosi in one of his first roles after the huge success of “Dracula.” This DVD/Blu-ray Kino Classics release includes a digital restoration and the original unrestored version.

More contemporary is Roman Polanski’s 1968 “Rosemary’s Baby,” taken from the Ira Levin novel and starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes and Ruth Gordon. As released by the Criterion Collection, it includes a new documentary with interviews with Polanski, Farrow and producer Robert Evans.

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