So like you open a door and a bunch of spiders pour out, you get scared then all the spiders go away?
Yes. The idea of the horror continent is horror, not death. The continent is not specifically out to kill people. It should have some dangers, all of them should, but it is not inhospitable. People can still make a living in this continent. It is just a horrific one. Like an outsider might be horrified at the blood waterfall that has no discernible source but the inhabitants would be accustomed to it and tapped it for their hospitals to use. The cultists might seem evil but the unspeakable horror that abducts their "sacrifice" and precious metals is later discovered to have been an eldritch being who acts as a guide through the otherworldly highway.
The continent should seem fraught with horror to outsiders but actually offers some unique opportunities for business and invention.