"A Nightmare On Elm Street" (1984) Long before Freddy Krueger became a subject of an over-the-top horror figure in the subsequent sequels, Wes Craven's "A Nightmare On Elm Street" was an inventive horror genre that actually felt scary. The setup was intriguing enough, which involved a group of high-school teenagers (led by Heather Langenkamp's Nancy) being terrorised in their dreams by a boogeyman known as Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Besides successfully tapping the psychological root of basic human fears, anxieties as well as the blurred difference between dream and reality, Craven created one of the most iconic horror characters in the form of Freddy Krueger. A definitive role immortalised by Robert Englund, his horribly disfigured appearance coupled with a fedora hat as well as the red-and-green striped sweater and a razor-fingered glove was unforgettable.

"Ringu" (1998) Hideo Nakata's "Ringu" or better known internationally as "The Ring", was credited as one of the pioneers that kickstarted the J-horror craze. The story, which involved a cursed videotape that killed whoever that watches it after seven days, might sound like a simple premise, but Nakata's execution was a masterstroke of dread and tension. The scene where the long-haired ghost of Sadako (Rie Ino) crawls out of the well and later emerges out of the TV remains as one of the scariest moments ever seen on screen!

"Session 9" (2001) The word "unsettling" was the best word to describe Brad Anderson's psychological chiller, "Session 9". Shot on location at the abandoned Danvers State Mental Hospital in Massachusetts, the setting itself was creepy enough to send a chill down your spine. Although the plot was convoluted, the central premise which involved a five-man crew of asbestos removers (Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Josh Lucas and Brendan Sexton III) dealing with the psychological stress and impossible deadline to complete the job, remains brilliantly directed by Anderson with the help of Climax Golden Twins' shivering piano-laden score and Ute Briesewitz's perfectly atmospheric cinematography.

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