(subject to change!)
The Devil's Backbone 2001, Guillermo del Toro. Spanish-language film taking place during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), in which there is just as much horror in the treatment of the living toward each other as there is in the presence of the dead among them.
Dawn of the Dead 1979, George Romero. While NOTLD is probably scarier. DotD is probably a better film. Certainly it ups the intensity & violence. It also accomplishes a rare thing--it's a 2 1/2 hour horror film that never seems too long. There may have been others, but I can't think of them
Deadly Blessing 1981, Wes Craven. A strange religious sect convinced a young woman is really a witch. Starring Maren Jensen of BattleStar Gallactica fame (er, did I say fame?), w/ Michael Berryman from The Hills Have Eyes in a small role. Not a great movie, but creepy fun, particularly one scene involving a spider (ick).
Dracula 1931, Tod Browning. So maybe the only thing scary about it these days is the lack of camera movement, but when it came out, there had never been such a sexual onscreen villain. Hence the very real fear and titillation of the audiences.
The Evil Dead 1982, Sam Raimi. The low-budget gore-shlock-fest that could. Often imitated, never duplicated.
Evil Dead 2 1986, Sam Raimi. Its Evil Dead, but better. Bruce Campbell's the sort of actor that has got one of those sorts of faces that you simply can't help but look at when its on screen. Why mainstream Hollywood ever passed him by I'll never know, but here he boggles and jumps like the trouper that he is, and virtually carries the film single handed - literally in places. And that's my idea of what a good actor should do. Chainsaw optional.
EventHorizon 1997, Paul Anderson. Nowhere near as good as your likely to think it, but actually no where near in truth as bad. This takes the alien formula at face value, but goes in a radically different direction with it.
The Exorcist 1973, William Friedkin. Still the scariest film I've ever seen.
Eyes of Fire 1983, Avery Crounse. I discovered this in my days working in video stores. Don't even know if it ever got a theatrical release. Takes place in colonial America, a group of travelers strays onto land belonging to a dead Indian tribe. Much scariness ensues. For a film with an unknown cast & director, it is amazingly polished, well-written, and stylishly filmed.
Eyes Without A Face 1959, Georges Franju. A bleak and beautiful French film about a doctor determined to, er, acquire a new face for his disfigured daughter. Dreamlike and poetic, while at the same time pretty nasty stuff.
The Fly 1958, Kurt Neumann. Vincent Price: "help me! help me!" in a really squeaky voice.
The Fly 1986, David Cronenburg. Jeff Goldblum: "I'm saying I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over and the insect is awake."
The Fog 1980, John Carpenter. A sleepy coastal town, Antonio Bay, is overrun by vengeful ghosts on the eve of the anniversary of its founding. All the horror "queens" are here: Jamie Lee Curtis is a hitchhiker that gets caught up the events; Adrienne Barbeau stars as a late-night DJ; and Janet Leigh makes a guest appearance.
From Beyond 1986, Stuart Gordon. A Full Moon Entertainment flick, this is one of the few Lovecraftian movies that works. It gives you that other world feeling and a desire to never, ever, see that world.
Fright Night 1985, Tom Holland. A teenager who is addicted to late-night horror movies becomes convinced that the new neighbor is a vampire and enlists the help of horror movie host, Peter Vincent (think Vincent Price or Elvira) to help him kill him. Roddy Mcdowall is excellent as Peter Vincent and Chris Sarandon is sauve, charming, handsome, and scary as the Vamp-Next-Door.
Frankenstein Unbound 1990, Roger Corman. An odd attempt at sci-fi that, like the book of the same name, tries and fails quite admirably to mix the genre with horror, in this instance all to rather literally through the media of TimeTravel.
Frankenstein 1931, James Whale. What can I say, it's Frankenstein. Not like the book, which is fine and dandy as the book really isn't all that great. A classic monster design and Boris is wonderful. Now this is kinda a cheat. I liked the sequel as much if not more than the original, but I decided that The Bride of Frankenstein doesn't stand alone.
Friday The 13th 1980, Sean S. Cunningham. It may not have started a trend, but it firmly cemented it in drive-in movie-goers minds. Most memorable for the cheap but effective "chh-chh-chaa-chaa" soundtrack. Many, many sequels, some of which are vastly superior to the tepid start, but some of which fall even lower, as hard as that may be to believe.
G-K