your words have reason, but even when a person who knows what they are doing takes a chance and presents something of substance; most often they get shit all over by the general masses or as i prefer to call them:the brain damaged retards

I think there are a few things at work here:
First: So many of the horror characters from the recent years have been zombies or masked killers, so they haven't really become "the faces of horror.
Second: A lot of the great horror films have been indie films, not Hollywood movies or theatre released foriegn films.
Thirdly: Women have taken the dominant role in being the recognized names in horror:
Debbie Rochon
Linnea Quigley
Brinke Stevens
etc

If you look to indie films and include women in the mix there are some definite names that just scream horror (forgive the pun)