To cause fright or terror in someone

It was a peaceful night when, all of a sudden, a terrifying scream made my hair stand on end

Era una tranquilla serata quando, all'improvviso, un urlo terrificante mi ha fatto rizzare i capelli in testa

He thinks he's as good as a Formula 1 pilot, but the truth is that his crazy driving makes everybody's hair stand on end

Crede di essere bravo come un pilota di Formula 1, ma la verità è che la sua guida folle fa rizzare i capelli in testa a tutti quanti

The first term, first recorded in 1534, alludes to goose pimples prompted by fear, which cause the hairs around them to stand up (Christine Ammer: The American Heritage dictionary of idioms)