If you want to produce a film that will do well at the Oscars and receive a Best Picture nomination, you’d be wise to avoid the horror genre. Though this domain has often (since the dawn of cinema itself) produced exceptional works of art, the Academy Awards tend to shun horror films, opting for only a few nominations here and there and usually in a year where there’s less competition. Over 96 years of Academy Award ceremonies and 601 Best Picture Oscar nominees, only six horror films have cracked the Academy’s most prestigious category: Best Picture. Given how popular horror movies are in the pop culture zeitgeist, it’s staggering to consider that only 1% of all Best Picture nominees have belonged to the genre.
Those six titles, in order of older to newest, are “The Exorcist,” “Jaws,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Black Swan,“ and “Get Out.“ From this group, only one, “The Silence of the Lambs,“ scored a Best Picture win. Given the scarcity of horror titles in the Best Picture Oscar category, it’s a wonder that these titles were ever able to score such prestigious nominations. More grounded storylines somewhat aided some of these horror movies than other horror films, featuring nomination-worthy acting performances or craftsmanship that specific branches within the Academy enjoyed. Some movies just appeal more to the sensibilities of Academy members better than others. Movies like “The Sixth Sense“and “Black Swan“ had unnerving horror imagery to spare. However, they didn’t involve people in rubber suits or hockey masks disemboweling teenagers by a lake.
Instead, these were distinctly human yarns involving ordinary people, which functioned perfectly well as straightforward dramas. “The Silence of the Lambs“ also fits into this category, with its narrative about a cannibal helping an F.B.I. agent track down a serial killer. That Jonathan Demme masterpiece wasn’t just a horror film but also an investigative drama. The multi-faceted genres of “The Silence of the Lambs“ enabled it to work on multiple levels, even for the most horror-wary Oscar voters. That does make, however, the presence of titles like “Jaws“ and “The Exorcist“ extra surprising.
After all, Steven Spielberg’s summer blockbuster “Jaws“ is a movie about a shark gobbling up people, and the late William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist“ plainly shows off satanic horrors on-screen. However, these titles were so acclaimed and left such a profound impact on pop culture that Oscar voters couldn’t possibly ignore them. Plus, in the 1970s, when disaster movies like “The Towering Inferno“ regularly got into the Best Picture race, it was much easier to imagine these blockbuster successes securing Best Picture recognition until blockbusters became more consistent and started to get looked down upon by voters in favor of more independent films. A similar phenomenon was at play with Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,“ a mesmerizingly perfect work of horror storytelling that generated huge box office returns and ignited a ton of discussions surrounding its themes. Ignoring this film because of the genre it inhabited would’ve been foolhardy. Horror or otherwise, “Get Out“ was one of 2017’s most striking cinematic accomplishments and was rightfully rewarded with the Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
These six films made their horror brethren proud with their Best Picture Oscar nominations. However, what other movies from throughout the years have come close to getting similar Oscar glory? Many horror films that are beloved today took time to develop their reputation. Films like “Halloween,” “The Shining,“ and “The Thing,“ considered masterpieces in 2024, were initially given a more mixed reception from critics. Without immediate critical support, it was difficult for some of the now most revered horror titles to get into the Best Picture Oscar race, let alone actually secure a nomination.
Still, some horror movies over the years have gotten close to Best Picture Oscar nominations. “Psycho,“ for one, rubbed shoulders with possibly getting nominated. After all, Alfred Hitchcock received a Best Director nomination for the movie, and “Psycho“ scored three additional Oscar nominations (including Janet Leigh for Best Supporting Actress). In the same decade, “Rosemary’s Baby“ scored high-profile DGA and WGA award nominations before scoring two major Oscar nominations, but neither were for Best Picture. Brian DePalma’s “Carrie” received two Oscar nominations for Best Actress (Sissy Spacek) and Best Supporting Actress (Piper Laurie) but was excluded from the Best Picture lineup. Moving forward a few decades, certain critics groups showered “The Babadook“ with major nominations throughout its precursor run, but this Australian horror feature never had a prayer of Oscar glory.
If there’s any modern horror movie that came the closest to a Best Picture Oscar nomination, it’s probably the first “A Quiet Place.“ In the 2018-2019 award season, John Krasinski’s third directorial effort made a significant splash with critics, the industry, and at the box office. It was listed as one of the year’s Top Ten Films by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute Awards, secured the equivalent of a Best Picture nomination at the Producers Guild Awards, garnered a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the WGA Awards and Emily Blunt even won the SAG award for Best Supporting Actress. Lots of awards hype was circling this film up until Oscar nomination morning. But in the end, “A Quiet Place“ only secured a Best Sound Editing Oscar nomination. Though, for a moment, it looked like the seventh horror Best Picture Oscar nominee in recent history would’ve been “A Quiet Place.” Perhaps if there were ten nominees that year instead of the sliding scale, but I guess we’ll never know.
Looking ahead, it must be asked: are there any 2024 horror films that could score a Best Picture Oscar nomination for the 2024-2025 award season? As of right now, that seems unlikely. Among the current Oscar heavyweights vying for Best Picture Oscar glory, horror movies are mostly M.I.A. However, director Coralie Fargeat’s body horror masterpiece “The Substance“ has been steadily climbing up the charts in more and more categories as the season rolls on. What started as a possible but longshot attempt at a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Demi Moore has now become a talked-about contender for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Margaret Qualley), Original Screenplay, Makeup & Hairstyling, Editing and Sound. The precursors will undoubtedly need to turn this talk into a reality before the industry itself weighs in. Still, there’s no denying the genuine passion for this movie and how much of a driving force Demi Moore is as a gateway for older voters in the Academy who may normally be turned off by the subject matter and presentation of the maximalist film.
Another horror movie still to come out later this year is Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.” This re-telling of the classic vampire story could be a late-arrival awards season titan from Focus Features. The studio is indeed very high on the project, opting for a Christmas release instead of around the spooky season, and the word on the gothic streets of Hollywood is that Lily-Rose Depp is going to turn some heads with her performance in this one. Considering how many craft categories “Nosferatu” could compete in, it could join “The Substance” in the Best Picture race, and we may have a historic year where two horror films are nominated for the Academy’s top prize. Still, no prior Robert Eggers directorial effort has obtained a Best Picture nomination, with only “The Lighthouse” receiving a lone Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. None of A24’s other 2024 horror films (“I Saw the TV Glow,” “Heretic,” “Y2K,“ etc.) have enough momentum to get into Best Picture either. In other words, outside of these two films, don’t hold your breath for sudden Best Picture nominations for “Smile 2” (though we agree Naomi Scott is fantastic in the film and should be a part of the Best Actress conversation) “Longlegs“ or “A Quiet Place: Day One.”
With the Academy’s soul-crushing reality of genre bias seemingly firmly in place, it means that the current crop of six horror Best Picture Oscar nominees is unlikely to expand anytime soon. However, genre bias is real…until it isn’t. The next couple of weeks will tell us one way or the other. Whichever way it goes, the six films the Academy has bestowed their top honor to are a fantastic reflection of how varied the horror genre can be. Horror can look like anything, from Anthony Hopkins hissing in a jail cell to a shark nibbling on unsuspected swimmers. The absence of horror cinema from the Best Picture category is the loss of this awards ceremony rather than a reflection of the genre’s creative deficiency. These six titles epitomize horror’s artistic brilliance, and we’re hoping and praying that this is the year where we can see it expand by one, possibly two more titles.
Do you think a horror film could receive a Best Picture nomination this year? What’s your favorite Oscar-nominated horror film? Please let us know in the comments below or on Next Best Picture’s X account and be sure to check out Next Best Picture’s latest Oscar predictions here.
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