Who is the true "master of horror?"

[Zackuth]

For writing, I'd have to say HP Lovecraft. Stephen king has given me more than one sleepless night, but Lovecraft is just plain scary. King will show you a scary room in the world you live in, but you can shut that door and be ok. Lovecraft, however, doesn't show you a room in your world, but replaces your world with something else. There's no door to close, no room to seal off, no place to avoid to be safe.

For directors, I'm a big fan of John Carpenter. He may not have the highs of other directors, but he does manage to avoid the lows. I think of Prince of Darkness, which is a movie that grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go, much like all of his movies.