This is more of a high tension panic game, not an eerie slow creepy one. Even then it depends on the difficulty. Now I won't say they're dumb, but some people start off on the easiest mode and expect to have it be a thrill-a-minute tension fest- that's not how it works. Since RE4 the series has tried implementing fear in a different way, tension. It's definitely more subtle, but just as effective. I mean, what more can they throw at us that we haven't already seen? They had had to try something new.
Now if you ask me, the licker hallway freaked me out, felt my heartbeat on that one. The harder difficulties, one or two lickers is sufficient enough to kill you, the huge-ass group in that hall? Please... Now don't make blank statements like "Unfortunately closest thing to being scary in the game and it's only false hope that makes it so." because other people had a different experience than you. You say it like a fact and it's not true; just a different method that works on some better than others. For example, the old stuff doesn't scare me or bother me, what does is Silent Hill, that game builds tension AND scares the crap outta you. The problem with RE is that it's not supernatural. It doesn't have an infinite list of ways to scare you. Tension is the next best thing, but even then, as your experience has displayed, it either doesn't work on you or you haven't played a hard enough difficulty level.
If you don't like it, it's just not your game. Stick to the classics if you prefer. No point in wasting time on a game that dissapoints you.