I've heard mixed things as to whether or not Dead Space is scary. I've never played it, but the time is now. At midnight. Surround Sound. No lights. Whiskey.
 
  

Good luck to you, that's absolutely the correct way to play that game. It's never really SCREAM OUT LOUD AHHAHAAAAAAAAAA scary, more of a slowly increasing sense of dread that makes you want to turn on every light in your house after your done playing.

Didn't find any part of that game scary, but hopefully you can immerse yourself in the game especially in that environment.

I played last night for three hours, in pitch black and with surround sound, and I reasoned the following:   

• It is a scary game, but not in the department it most needed to be scary: combat. The enemies pop out at predictable times and from mostly predictable spots. They're bad at sneaking up on you, and they are not really that dangerous.

• Enemies drop ammo and health packs. Why? In terms of atmosphere and plot, it doesn't make a lick of sense. These abominations who want nothing more than to see me dead devolve into delivery receptacles for supplies. And not just any supplies: supplies that are vital to my survival.

• The strongest, scariest part of the game is the atmosphere. Sound and lighting are used to great effect to create truly horrific moments. Shadows danced across the wall, but when I turned around, there was nothing to be found. The game can be downright brilliant in that way.  

• Despite the achievements the game chalked up in terms of sound and lighting, I found very little actual danger posed by them. Ultimately, they only serve as indicators that monsters will be hopping out of an air vent after I walk past a certain point. A prime example where the game could improve: 

Some people treat whether something is scary or not as a test of manliness but with a game I find all you are doing it detracting from the experience. The appeal of the game is being scared. I don't see how you can really enjoy things without finding it a little scary. Good points though.

"Enemies drop ammo and health packs. Why? In terms of atmosphere and plot, it doesn't make a lick of sense. These abominations who want nothing more than to see me dead devolve into delivery receptacles for supplies. And not just any supplies: supplies that are vital to my survival."

for me it was all dread. first time i played it i had to immediately jump into need for speed hot pursuit afterward to calm my nerves

Playing it with loud surround sound in the dark makes it a much scarier game. Apparently the 2nd is much worse.