Evil Dead's a good series for what you're doing. The first one is peak no-budget horror that hints at Sam Raimi's style. The second is why everyone remembers the name. The third is good stupid fun.

The Ring is plain horror. Bleak visuals, intense tone, flawless audio, fucked up a microgeneration. A+, would recommend. Heavily localized from a Japanese original in a way that feels... domestic. It's why movies like The Grudge got remade for Americans, but the only hint it's foreign was that it's not about real estate.