There is no creepy vs. scare as far as I'm concerned. They were born together, leering twins forever clasping hands, Horror and Terror.
What I mean is this - a startle or a jump scare is effective, but ten times moreso when anticipation has built. The reason is, if someone gets "creeped out", the heartrate increases, eyes dilate, and andrenaline is released a little at a time through the body. We prepare involuntarily for "fight or flight".
The expectation gets a better reaction, though that may sound like a contradiction. Those dilated eyes cause a tunnel vision that provides better focus, but eliminates broad spanning.
Therefore? Set them up for a scare in one direction (creepy, weird, spooky, music, lighting, etc.,) then hit them from the opposite. (Boo!)
Or let them see the scare, but confuse them as to when the scare will occur, as in the dropping head over the candy-bowl video posted here the other day.
It's the dummy scenario.
A house has two dummies, one slumped in a chair on the porch, the other hanging from a noose in a tree by the walk.
Creepy. Hanging corpses are unsettling, and smart money says the dummy on the porch is a real person, waiting to strike.
The approach to the house is tense, filled with wide-eyes, nervous jumps and giggles.
If the actor is sitting on the porch, he is expected to scare folks, but he is still very effective because no one knows when he'll make his move. Creepy + scare = good result.
If the actor is hanging from the tree, and makes his move on exiting TOT's, he was completely unexpected. Creepy + scare = good result.
This isn't an either/or situation. Use both