So what is to be done? It's fine to crush the party into a fine paste in a one shot scenario but what about a year long Call of Cthulhu game? Players will get sick and tired of dying and stop showing up. In my pondering a few ideas have popped out of the ether.
Take it slow and think long term. Build up the suspense slowly and dish out information slow and steady. The players should not be going from gunfight to gunfight but from library to library. This though can get boring fast if something is not done to alleviate the boredom factor, or the cracknugget factor to be more specific. Props and handouts work well for this, gives the players something to focus on. If done correctly the mystery will take precedent, which makes for a lot less lethality.
If your going to kill someone make sure it isn't someone important. This means if things are going to get messy bring around some fodder for the monster to kill. This is the trope of every monster movie, you are only invested in one perhaps two characters, the rest are there just to get eaten/stabbed/crushed/gutted/etc. When the characters go to the haunted mansion, bring some expendable friends along. Use this sparingly though otherwise it will turn from horror to comedy. You do not want your characters rounding up innocent people every time they go investigate a cult down at the abandoned Masonic Temple. A spin on this is to create a beloved NPC, really flesh him out good and have him become a trusted member of the group. Wait till the players are emotionally invested, then kill him. Do not do this too often otherwise the players will become hopeless pretty fast.
Horror games are foremost games of atmosphere. This can best be described as a sense of unease. For longer games keep jump scares and horrifying moments spaced out. Fill in the gaps with long stretches of "there just isn't something right...I can't put my finger on it...but......something." The players should know that something is wrong but will not know what to do about it or what it is, or if it is even real. Call for random spot hidden checks with clues that lead to know where. Make it like the characters are being followed, or are they, is it just paranoia? The bellhop of the hotel has very sharp canine features, and did he just scratch himself like a dog would? Keep the players on their toes and only let them keep their balance for short stretches of time.
Keep your players interests in firearms to a minimum. Guns kill people very quickly. 4d6 damage from a shotgun blast and I have how many Hit Points, Ten you say, doesn't look good. Guns are bad and they will kill your PC's quicker than anything.
Switch to a different system. I'm saying this mainly to those associated with Call of Cthulhu and are in need of something with a built in buffer towards PC deaths. There are plenty of other systems out there that are a bit less lethal.
- Kult- Gnostic Horror. This system offers in depth character creation and a built in world mythology that can rival the Cthulhu Mythos in scope. The combat is deadly, perhaps even more so than Call of Cthulhu, but it gives the players Hero Points which can turn grievous wounds into mere scratches. It's not much, but it can turn a lethal scenario into one of survivability.
- Eclipse Phase- Transhuman Horror- I have never played this system but have only heard good things. Plus if your character gets juiced you can just download your backup into a new body. No muss or fuss, but sometimes there are worse things than death.
- Hero's of Horror- This is a supplement released for Dungeons and Dragons 3.0/3.5. It explains how to incorporate horror elements into a traditional fantasy world. Great resource.
- White Wolf- They have a multitude of horror/dark fantasy games, Vampire the Masquerade being its most popular. Their World of Darkness core rulebook is a good place to go if you want to play mortals in a world swimming with monsters.
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