This is one of my favourite horror films ever and I applaud you for having it on here. Now, I don't think it's a horror flick per se, more of a mystery film with a horror-ish atmosphere. Seriously, the atmosphere created in I Walked With A Zombie is one of the darkest, gloomiest, most-fitting I've ever seen in a film. This can no doubt be attributed fully to Jacques Tourneur and his cinematographer Hunt who expertly use shadows and native island music to create that great atmosphere.
Agreed, though I'd give much of the credit to Val Lewton as well. Lewton had a good sensibility for the genre at the time and provided a lot of ambition for projects that were made mainly for marketability.
Very good choice here. I love this one myself. This film is very creepy due to the fact that we never actually see the killer. It's almost always more scarier to make the suggestion of ever-present but invisible danger (to the viewer at least) than to have some guy wander around with an axe off-camera for 5 seconds and then show him for 3+ minutes while he brutally slaughters his victim.
A common sentiment, though I think a film can be good either way, depending on circumstance.
#40-31:
40. The Body Snatcher (1945)
It may not be a popular opinion, but this is my pick for the best Val Lewton horror production. It was the third collaboration between Lewton and a 'pre-Day the Earth Stood Still' Robert Wise. But, the primary reason to watch this is Karloff, who arguably gives the best performance of his career, playing a two-faced psycho.
39. Fists in the Pocket (1965)
Uncharacteristically for an early Italian horror film, Fists in the Pocket is purely psychological. It gives off a feeling of uneasiness, but not in an overly ambiguous or surreal way.
38. Let the Right One In (2008)
37. Blood and Black Lace (1964)
One of the most stylish slasher films ever made. Working outside of gothic, period or sci-fi films, one might think that Mario Bava might've been limited stylistically, but his knack for aesthetic atmosphere is just as apparent here. He's more than a one trick pony though; style aside, the film easily stands up with the best of Italian horror.
36. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962)
35. The Tenant (1976)
The most bizarre and likely least approachable of Roman Polanski's 'apartment' trilogy. I don't think it's the best, though it's my preferred of the bunch for its abstractly dreamlike tone, presented in spades during the final 30 minutes.
34. Dead of Night (1945)
From my review of the film:
Dead of Night is a series of short horror stories told back to back from the perspective of a room full of strangers that are in a horror story themselves. Sounds boring and perhaps even a bit incoherent, but it is anything but. The film captivates, chills, and above all, entertains.
33. The Innocents (1961)
32. Eyes Without a Face (1960)
31. Repulsion (1965)