Dead of Night (1945)--Though a simple compendium of five individual nightmares, it's scary as hell throughout. Eerie interiors, expressionistic lighting, and some chilling tales of haunted mirrors, ghostly hide-and-seek, and that damn ventriloquist's dummy make this the true stuff of nightmares. The ending will knock you flat.
Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)--The less you know about this soft-spoken thriller, the better. Just have faith that the creepy psychic lady, her tender-fingered husband and a mysterious entity called simply "Arthur" have a spine-tingling scheme up their sleeves.
Bad Moon (1996)--Fine acting, lush scenery--and it works for dog lovers, too! Featuring a conflicted werewolf and his suspicious family, this compelling character study co-stars a German shepherd and could actually support the tagline "Man Bites Dog."
Slashers (2002)--This topical Canadian gem takes a bloody stab at reality television as six American contestants battle three armed psychos for cash. Fine design, and the long, real-time takes add a thick tension to the scares.
The St. Francisville Experiment (2000)--Basically The Blair Witch Project inside a haunted house, this slyly structured tingle-fest makes great use of dark stairways and creaky attics. You'll never look in a mirror without trembling again.
Patrick (1978)--The premise can't miss: A comatose Australian mental patient develops bizarre psychic powers, lusts after his nurse and terrorizes a hospital. Adeptly Hitchcockian throughout, the wash of sexual tension and psychological psycho-babble deepen the thoughtful scares.
Don't Look Now (1973)--Brilliant artistic horror. A daft American couple loses a child and jaunts around grimy Venice encountering clairvoyant old ladies, prophesying priests and mysterious little strangers in red raincoats. Weird and wonderful.
The Eye (2003)--Japanese import takes The Sixth Sense to greater, darker depths when an ocular transplant reveals the shadow realm to a young woman. True horrors await, and the calmly laced plot will keep you guessing.
Angel Heart (1987)--Part film noir, part voodoo nightmare. A sleazy private investigator hits New Orleans in search of a lost soul but find himself dogged by shrunken heads, faceless nuns, vats of chicken blood and a curious killer that's always one step ahead.
Pin... (1988)--Twisted family drama surrounds a demented brother's obsession with his freaky medical dummy, "Pin." Slow-paced but thoughtfully character-driven, the plot plods nicely along while the scares erupt with sadistic vengeance.
