David Lynch - Okay, maybe he's not a traditional horror director, but almost all his films are full of haunting, unnerving, daunting and surreal imagery and I think his ability to scare is greater than that of other directors. Watch Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire and tell me you didn't defecate everywhere during particular scenes.
Dario Argento - I can't speak for his later work (which I suppose I've somewhat intentionally avoided), but his earlier films are among my favourites. Suspiria, Inferno and Tenebrae are especially wonderful in my eyes. He has an eye for great visuals and his bizarre, dream-like murder scenes are always intriguing to watch.
David Cronenberg - Like Argento, this is another one who probably wouldn't be considered a horror director in the traditional sense, especially when his recent output is more drama/thriller. His earlier films couldn't be categorised as anything other than horror, though. I recently watched The Brood for the first time and loved it. Videodrome is my favourite of his.
Wes Craven - He's reinvented the genre on numerous occasions. I also think he comes across as a very intelligent man and he doesn't get enough credit for the way he injects satire and social commentary into his films. As much as I love his contributions to the Nightmare series, The Last House on the Left is still my favourite of his. It's raw and far from his most professional work, but its fascinating as all hell.
Sam Raimi - This is the most questionable inclusion of the five as he hasn't directed any horror films aside from the Evil Dead trilogy and Drag Me To Hell, but how could I exclude Sam Raimi? Besides, the scene in Spider-Man 2 where Ock wakes up on the operating table is classic Raimi. His style is beautifully over-the-top and the manner in which he combines frights with laughs is grand.
Runners-up: Carpenter, Hooper, Henenlotter, etc.
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