Hey Matt, thanks for joining SCREAMWORLD!
Jams are great opportunities to motivate to build on existing dev skills. I agree, the horror genre can invite ideas with trite stereotypes and tired cliches, and that's why I really enjoy the new and interesting ideas folks try out when making horror games for this jam.
The atmospheric horror direction is a great one, and paired with exploration mechanics, it sounds like you've got an interesting game on your hands. Looking forward to see what you come up with!