Thank you for playing and leaving a very detailed review! I didn't have time to balance how long the candle stayed lit with the thresholds the the enemies transformed in, if only there had been 2 more days! Extinguishing and relighting the candle sounds like a neat idea for sure. Sprinting did not effect the actual amount of wax decreasing, but I did have the candle flickering rate change with the walk vs run speeds. I could have probably had fewer enemies to allow for a bit more exploration, something that I'll certainly consider if I decide to continue this project. Resident Evil had a massive influence on the design of this game, from the idea of safe rooms to the piano easter egg in the stairwell, I've always wanted to pay homage to it in some way.
As for the hidden doors, each door has a corresponding switch. One is in the hall on the opposite side of the first floor, and the safe room switch actually has a polarity. If left alone, the safe room near the attic key will be open. If you flip the switch on the third floor, that safe room opens instead, which is a mechanic I couldn't use more cleverly in time.
There seems to be some interest in this being developed further which is truly inspiring. Thank you again for playing!