Movies

Why the Oscars Need to Embrace Horror: A Genre Overdue for Recognition

BBG News

When Demi Moore triumphed at the Golden Globes for her role as Elisabeth Sparkle in Coralie Fargeat’s gruesome hit The Substance on January 5, she expressed during her acceptance speech that it was her first genuine award after over four decades in Hollywood. This milestone brought a gleaming moment to the evening, with Moore discussing how the film helped her overcome a demoralizing career lull.

At a particularly challenging time, an unusual script landed on her desk. Reflecting back, it felt as if the universe was whispering to her, “You have more to accomplish.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that the 62-year-old actor’s recognition was belated, it might have been unexpected that this honor came for a role where she wore grotesque prosthetics and graphically gave birth to a younger version of herself. This is surprising considering horror movies’ dismal history in awards seasons.

For over 90 years, only seven horror films (with The Substance being the latest) have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and only one – The Silence of the Lambs in 1991, which is also a detective story – has actually won. This year, director Coralie Fargeat was nominated as well, making her the sole female nominee for Best Director and potentially the second to ever win for a horror film (Jonathan Demme being the only one before her with The Silence of the Lambs). If Moore, who received her first nomination on January 23rd, wins, she would be the seventh actor to receive an Oscar for a role in a horror movie. It’s surprising that, despite some iconic performances, this genre has had very few successes in the Oscars.

2021 saw Moore stepping in as the representative of an impressive year filled with outstanding performances across numerous terrifying films. For instance, Hugh Grant displayed a chilling charisma as a religious zealot in “Heretic”, Naomi Scott battled literal and figurative demons as a pop star in “Smile 2”, while Justice Smith transformed into a shy teen obsessed with a horror series in “I Saw the TV Glow”. The Christmas release, Robert Eggers’ remake of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 silent vampire classic, “Nosferatu”, climbed its way into the top 50 highest-grossing horror movies ever made, with critics praising star Lily-Rose Depp. Regrettably, despite Grant receiving a Golden Globe nomination, many other remarkable performances like Scott’s and Smith’s have gone largely unrecognized, except for niche awards such as genre-specific or indie accolades.

Unsuspected and grisly, the film “The Substance” wasn’t initially expected to be a hit among mainstream audiences. However, its buzzworthy debut at Cannes, a relatable message about aging women, and an impressive box office earnings of $76 million on a budget of $17.5 million showcase the immense potential that horror films have for showcasing talented actors. If Moore secures an award on March 2nd, it won’t alter the fact that historically, the Academy has a tendency to overlook some truly deserving performances. For instance, Toni Collette in “Hereditary“, Lupita Nyong’o in “Us“, Florence Pugh in “Midsommar“, and Mia Goth in “Pearl” are just a few examples from the last decade who have been overlooked.

In essence, Nyong’o stated during an interview with BuzzFeed in 2020 that award shows serve to highlight innovation in cinema. Therefore, it seems rather preposterous to him that there would be bias towards or against any specific genre like horror.

Horror films that received high praise, such as “Psycho,” “The Exorcist,” “Jaws,” “Carrie,” and “The Sixth Sense,” were once capable of securing some nominations in the prestigious Oscars. In the past, acting awards within this genre have been bestowed upon Kathy Bates for her role in “Misery” (1990), Ruth Gordon for “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968), Fredric March for “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1931), as well as Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins for their performances in “Silence of the Lambs.” However, it wasn’t until 2010 when Natalie Portman won an Oscar for her portrayal in “Black Swan,” marking a significant gap in horror-related acting awards.

Over the past fifteen years, I, as a movie enthusiast, have noticed that Daniel Kaluuya is the only actor in the horror genre who’s managed to secure an Oscar nomination. This leads me to question if the films being recognized as contenders are truly horrors at heart. It appears that the prestigious Academy tends to honor movies that go beyond the genre’s boundaries, a category that can be quite subjective. As William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, stated in 2015, “I saw it as a film about the mystery of faith… I didn’t set out to make a horror movie.

In more contemporary times, films such as 2014’s “The Babadook” and Eggers’ 2016 hit “The Witch” sparked the debatable label “elevated horror,” a term used for horror movies thought to surpass the artistic value of mainstream ones. However, it appears that the likelihood of receiving awards consideration has diminished as this trend emerges.

As a movie critic, I must admit that it’s quite perplexing to observe how the horror genre, with its rapid box office growth and significant cultural influence, is often overlooked by the Academy Awards. Compared to the period dramas and biopics that typically sweep the awards season, horror seems to be deemed as less prestigious or low-brow.

If the Academy fails to acknowledge talent like Tessa Thompson (Moore in this context) for her daring exploration into the horror genre, it sends a message that unconventional, daring, and downright bizarre performances are not valued – a notion that is both disheartening and thought-provoking. In her Golden Globes speech, Tessa described these performances as “magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box, absolutely bonkers.” It’s truly a scary thought that such extraordinary performances might continue to go unnoticed by the Academy.

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2025-01-23 19:07

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