HAUNT thing

I want to try to get a few opinions on this just because I'm having trouble finding a way on how to present HAUNT. HAUNT is a horror game with a ton of atmosphere, and one thing that I love about it is that the characters offer a wide range of emotions throughout the game, all depending on what kind of situation they encounter on their journey. However, I love first person stuff because it's scarier coming from the point of view of the character. You get a real up close and personal encounter with something terrifying. I love 3rd person horror games because it gives you, the player, a good look at the environment and the characters as well.
I have settled on making the game 3rd person but I have one huge problem with it.
3rd person horror games are great, but you can't see the playable character's face! I found myself, especially throughout my playthrough of RE2 Remake, wanting to look at Claire or Leon's face for that emotion, you know? I believe it gives the player and the character a bit more of a bond, it makes it scarier. Of course, you can turn the camera to look at them, but obviously that's not going to work and totally beside the point.
I want HAUNT to be scary and I want you to feel what the characters are feeling, but I honestly can't think of any way to present it in a playable way that also offers you a good look at the characters while they traverse the world.
I like the static RE format camera, but I hate the pressing one direction and then a camera change totally fucks up your thinking on what direction you should press next to go forward (I probably worded that really wrong but whatever). I don't really want tank controls either to that effect. Until Dawn is a cool example of gameplay that works with static AND dynamic cameras, so I thought of doing it that way, but then again, I found myself turned around because of the camera changes and the direction I thought I was pushing to go forward, all of a sudden turns into a different direction with a camera change. Another idea I thought of was presenting the entire game like a "Crash Bandicoot runs from the boulder" scenario, where the camera is always placed IN FRONT of the character, and you have to deal with hazards that come straight at you. It seems good on paper, but ultimately, I think players wouldn't enjoy that. Another idea was to have the cameras always be attached to an entity that's watching you. For instance, walking into a zone where the camera changes, but it's the point of view of some demon in a corner or something. The camera would never be attached to an entity that attacks you, but one that's always watching you, to kinda give it that tension. But other than that, I can't seem to present the game the way I want by showing the character's emotions without making it something that won't be right for me, the creator, and won't feel good to you, the player. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated and considered. :)