More Expansions?

[vergilmaycry]

the direction of the stellar Shattered Memories

You mean no horror at all until the game says "MONSTERS, RUN!"?

Horror isn't simply running from a clear source of danger. That's a cheap short-lasting thrill like you see in Doom 3. long-lasting horror is looking at something and seeing it slightly shift before you in a subtle and disturbing way. In Shattered Memories, the messages you get from your daughter are slightly altered with tone to completely change meaning - was the party a good time or wa she drugged and raped? Based on minor change in YOUR actions, your own family life teeters between a healthy marriage, an abusive wife scenario, or a cheating husband by giving you notes and tidbits subtly hinting at all of the above until one of the reveals.

The monsters that most people love to hate are well done, too, but from a different perspective than Amnesia. Instead of being threats, they wait for you to fall and comfort you. They sit around you in warmth before the screen fades. I found that so eerie that I had chills down my spine (read: horror). Also, the monsters shift to reflect your nature as a player - I've seen abstract creatures in cerebral playthroughs, and sexualized (breasts, high heels) if your mannerisms have more sexual connotations.

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Sorry for double post, can't get scrolling to work right on my phone.

The frozen chase scenes are predictable from a gameplay perspective, but look at them as a storytelling device rather than simply a mandatory 'exciting part' in a game. The appeared right before a truth was revealed and had monsters whose sole purpose was to console you and keep you from going further. It's classic symbolism of safety in the familiar vs knowledge but possible danger in the unknown.

I might be totally out of the norm here, but this genre resonates with me because of a lot of symbolism and underlying messages, rather than direct scares. After all, the scariest things in the world are us - people.

Tl;dr - horror is about subtle discomfort via atmospheric immersion rather than a concrete 'monster' or obstacle to overcome.