a lot of people like horror, they just don't like horror that is legitimately horrifying. they're fine with a spooky doll like anabelle, or a ghost floating around an old house and going "BOO!", or a generic slasher murderer. that's "softcore horror" for lack of a better word. things i would classify as softcore horror are IT, old slashers like halloween, friday the 13th, and nightmare on elm street. cabin in the woods, sinister, it follows, insidious, the sixth sense, scream, paranormal activity, and most zombie media, etc. these are movies where, if you say you watched any of these for your halloween party, most people would be like "oh haha i've seen that. it was so fun and spooky, i'm such a fraidey cat with that stuff though, i had my hands in front of my eyes in the theater"

hardcore horror is a much more niche thing, and a lot of these aren't even typically classified as horror movies. martyrs, a clockwork orange, serbian film, audition, salo, irreversible, funny games, raw, eraserhead, the seventh continent, to name a few. these are movies where the average person probably hasn't head of it. when they look it up to see what's in it, they'll give you a weird look and make a note in their mind that you're a creepy weirdo.

this isn't to say that hardcore horror is better than softcore horror. most of my favorite horror movies are soft, and a lot of hardcore movies use their brutality just for shock value. a serbian film stands out the most, it's one of the most substanceless and shallow piles of crap i've ever seen, and it doesn't even come close to justifying its content. the seventh continent on the other hand, while not gory or bloody, is deeply disturbing, and it's a great movie.