The Shining - Numerous memorable scenes come to mind, (redrum, all work and no play, man in the bunny suit) - but they all add up to make the scariest movie of all time.
Silence of the Lambs - The most visceral fear comes from one's own mind, and this one is the king of the psychological thrillers.
Se7en - So disturbing to the psyche it has its own rating category on Reel Reviews. I wonder if FedEx would really make that delivery!
King Kong (1930) - Despite the flickering gorilla fur, this one frightened a whole generation of new moviegoers.
Psycho - The most prominent representative of the genius of Hitchcock. Janet Leigh's shower scene is one of the most frightening scenes ever filmed for a movie.
The Ring - A ringing phone scared me for days after seeing this one. A clean change of underwear anyone?
Halloween (1978) - So scary it spawned no fewer than 8 direct sequels, not to mention numerous acknowledgements in other Hollywood productions.
Frankenstein (1931) - Combines a beautifully simplistic tale with the potent topic of man vs. nature to create a horrific fairy-tale that continues to mesmerize more than seven decades after its release
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) - with the threat of nuclear disaster and its effects on humans largely forgotten, how successful would a remake featuring villains mutated by radioactive fallout play to today's generation of horror fans? Well, it worked back then and it works today.
Carrie (1976) - Mixes telekinetic powers with our innate fear of being ridiculed to create a classic horror masterpiece.
Bad Ronald (1974) - An ABC, made-for-TV movie. The premise alone is the star of the show and is guaranteed to keep you awake for a few nights. Difficult to watch however, as it's not yet out on DVD, but you can pick up a copy here.
Jaws (1975) - Forced a whole generation to stay out of the water. Is it safe to go back yet?
Night of the Living Dead (1968) - The Royal King Father of all zombie movies. That reminds me, I'm hungry!
Exorcist (1973) - Made an entire generation of filmgoers never order split pea soup again!
The Birds (1963) - The film's tagline alone says it all: "Suspense and Shock Beyond Anything You Have Seen or Imagined!" Ooooo, scary!
The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Although it turned out to be the biggest sham in filmmaking history, it was scary nonetheless.
The Changeling (1980) - I'll never see a wheelchair the same again!
Friday the 13th (1980) - Must be scarier than Halloween because it spawned more sequels!
Signs (2002) - Crop circles, Shyamalan and Aliens, Oh My!
Alien (1979) - Now I get extremely concerned every time I have indigestion.
The Descent (2005) - The translucent-skinned humanoids resemble a creepy cross between Gollum, Spock, and Vladislaus Dracula's naked, flying-monkey devil-brides featured in Van Helsing. A descent into madness in more way than one.
The Devil's Rejects (2005) - Sequel to House of 1000 Corpses. One of the few instances of a sequel surpassing the original. Also contains some of the best one-liners in a horror movie.
A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Many don't classify it as a horror movie per se, but it's terrifying nonetheless. Kubrick's best movie?
Videodrome (1983) - Cronenberg horror that relates the troubles of society to television. A visionary?