Fear and horror are not synonymous.  Fear anticipates something awful while horror experiences that awful thing.  Realizing either true fear or actual horror on screen is a rare occurrence, but one to be celebrated when done well.

Nosferatu (1922; dir. F.W. Murnau)  Fear is wondering if, as a vampire, you will be able to feed tonight.  You have to feed.  The horror is knowing you want to feed.  The blood is the life.

Frankenstein (1931; dir. James Whale)  James Whale’s image of the creature was, and still is, horrifying.  More importantly Frankenstein is not the name of the creature, but the real monster is named Frankenstein and that is truly frightening.

The Great Dictator (1940; dir. Charles Chaplin)  Chaplin’s comedic expressions in his first talkie are grounded in the fear of what might be happening in 1940 Europe.  But Chaplin must have known it was already too late, and that helplessness is horror.

Night of the Hunter (1955; dir. Charles Laughton)  What Harry Powell does to Willa Harper is horrifying; what he does to John and Pearl is frightening (“Chiiiiiildren?”).

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957; dir. David Lean)  As a prisoner, confronting the brutal commander of your POW camp can be frightening.  Suddenly comprehending how you have helped the enemy, despite your best intentions (in what is the most fully-realized “What have I done?” moment in film history) is real, abject horror.

Halloween (1978; dir. John Carpenter)  It is horrible to find the dead bodies of your teenage friends all stuffed into different parts of the same bedroom in the house across the street.  But fear is knowing the boogie man is real, cannot be killed, and lurks in the shadows of all the houses in the neighborhood.  Well done, Mr. Carpenter.

Apocalypse Now (1979; dir. Francis Ford Coppola)  Colonel Kurtz’s madness has its method.  There is a logic to his argument about how to win the Vietnam war.  The build up to Kurtz’s entrance is fear, but making friends with horror (“the horror…the horror”) epitomizes warfare’s ultimate goal and those base emotions and behavior needed to win.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981; dir. Stephen Spielberg)  Snakes are fear.  Looking into the power of God and having your face melt off is horror.  Of course.

A Christmas Story (1983; dir. Bob Clark)  Waiting in a long line to talk to Santa Claus about your official Red Ryder carbine action air rifle is fear.  Getting kicked in the face and shoved down an exit slide by Santa Claus is horror.  Ho-Ho-Ho!

Babe (1995; dir. Chris Noonan)  Almost killing an innocent pig with your shotgun is horrifying.  Choosing to enter said pig into a sheep dog contest knowing you will be shamed by your peers is frightening.  But Farmer Hoggett does it anyway, and that’ll do.  That’ll do.