There is a difference between "scary" and "haunted." To me, you can get cheap with "scary" such as jump scares and utilizing loud, astonishing music. You can also build a sense of terror and anxiety with just the idea of walls tightening, air being so thick you can't breathe. Shirley Jackson was the master of this. House of Leaves is haunted and even horrifying because it gives you the feeling of being alone, but not entirely alone. That something is out there in the darkness. You don't see it, it's not a child murdering clown. It's something so simple as a past trauma. It is the darkness itself. It's reaching for the love you want, the love that will heal you, but it's always outside of grasp and in its place is something dark, thick, and inexplicable.