I am a big fan of this, for these reasons: I love creepy things, thick line art and gloomy desaturated color palettes. Annnnd this one has a detailed background! I an art nerd and it’s starting to show the longer I am on this site lol. I see the direction you want to head and you are on the right path to it too. (Hopefully I am not misunderstanding) I believe you want that creepy vibe while maintaining the cartoon qualities. You don’t see many like that, usually it semi realism or realism in regards to creepy (especially anime) or maybe I am just not seeing enough art. Seriously keep this up. I know the art is sorta old based of your description but that doesn’t stop it from being good.
5 stars for color palette again lol and creepy vibes and thick lines save lives💜
Just need more purple (joking lol it’s perfect just the way it is)