Can 2D games be scary?

[Hatonastick]

Do you know http://www.limbogame.org/

That's not scary, that's just hard to play because you can't see what the heck is going on!  

Actually it does look very interesting.

[spicypixel]

Imagine a top down game with an illuminated field of vision around the player, this is effectively what FPS shooters do in effect as you can only see a specific region based on your view. This way enemies will appear fairly quickly and help create tension as you don't wanna rush too quickly around a play area. Also the usage of panned sound and volume levels would help create orientation as to where enemies are to be pre warned but still provide enough tension knowing they can appear without warning at any time

[Slydog]

Imagine a top down game with an illuminated field of vision around the player

That's what I have in my 3d maze game now.
I only allow them to see 2 units away and they can expand that with 'light' powerups, to see further.
I don't do this to make it scary, just to hide further portions of the maze to make it more difficult to solve.

I also have a radar that can be expanded further with 'radar' powerups.
Radar could add a sense of scaryness, you could show them that an enemy/monster is near, but they can't see them yet.
Works especially well in a multi-layered 3d world, like Halo, where you know an enemy is near you on the radar but you don't know at what elevation.  Then suddenly he drops down on you from above!  I hate Halo! ha 

[okee]

I remember when we were like.. 20 we played Resident Evil on PSone before we went to Disco (whcih was before 1:00), and we shat our pants at the scene where you once left the house at the back and there was this scary background noise...

The scene that scared the bejasus outta me was that first zombie encounter.
I was thinking..oh is that man ok ?, should i help him...oh gooooodddddd noooooo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe6srxp1-9I

Film wise, The child vampire at the window in Salems Lot still to this day scares the hell outta me
and i first saw it when i was 12

2D wise I think Kalle Marjolas Knights on the Amiga, it was basically a 2 player split screen game
and we used to put cardboard down the centre of the screen so we couldn't see each others screen area
and turn off the lights. You had a pre defined goal to retreive items from the dungeon and escape by a certain doorway,
you only see the room your in, there was no music and only the sounds of doors clanging when
you opened them, the scares were more tension than horror as you could be running through rooms
with all the swag heading for the exit when you run into your enemy who starts hacking you with
a sword.

http://www.knightsgame.org.uk/

[quangdx]

Imagine a top down game with an illuminated field of vision around the player, this is effectively what FPS shooters do in effect as you can only see a specific region based on your view. This way enemies will appear fairly quickly and help create tension as you don't wanna rush too quickly around a play area. Also the usage of panned sound and volume levels would help create orientation as to where enemies are to be pre warned but still provide enough tension knowing they can appear without warning at any time

Something like this?
http://www.appspy.com/i-found-you-review