Summary
- The Oscars rarely recognize horror films, with only 7 Best Picture nominations and 1 win in 97 years.
- The Substance by Coralie Fargeat broke the mold by getting 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
- Films like Get Out and The Exorcist have made important impacts on the horror genre.
In the ceremony’s 97 years, the horror genre has been famously snubbed at the Oscars. Since the first Academy Awards in 1929, only seven scary movies have been nominated for the prestigious Best Picture award, and only one—The Silence of the Lambs in 1992—has ever secured the award.
Related
10 Most Influential Horror Movies
For those looking for a scare or simply to respect what came before, these classic horror movies are perhaps the most influential of all time.
This year’s nominations provided a rare embrace of the underrepresented genre. Carolie Fargeat’s bold gore-fest The Substance landed five nominations, including Best Picture, joining the handful of horror movies ever considered for the coveted award. Here’s the complete ranking of every critically acclaimed horror film nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
7
The Substance
An Over-The-Top Body Horror With Substance
The Substance
- Release Date
-
September 20, 2024
- Runtime
-
140 Minutes
- Director
-
Coralie Fargeat
Coralie Fargeat’s gore-filled body horror The Substance broke the mold of Oscar contenders this year. The gross-out movie has been widely praised for its stomach-churning portrayal of sexism in show business and the industry’s obsession with youth. Demi Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle, an aging celebrity who takes extreme measures to bring to life a younger, “better” version of herself, portrayed by Margaret Qualley.
Like Fargeat’s equally visceral debut film, Revenge, The Substance is an overwhelming sensory experience that is stylistically disorienting and excessive. It pulls no punches and isn’t looking to be subtle about its feminist message, delivering a heartbreaking and unforgettable tale of self-destruction.
6
Black Swan
A Psychological Horror Film Filled With Masterful Performances
Black Swan
- Release Date
-
December 3, 2010
In 2010, Darren Aronofsky ended the 16-year dry spell for horror in the Oscars Best Picture race with Black Swan. The movie follows Nina, a perfectionist ballerina whose sanity spirals as she is pushed to the brink while training for the iconic and demanding lead role in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Related
15 Of The Best Psychological Horror Movies That Will Leave You Thinking
There are some great Horror movies out there that are superbly psychological. Here are some prime examples.
Nina’s emotional unraveling is marked by terrifying hallucinations in which Aronofsky makes use of both psychological and body horror, crafting a disturbing tale of obsession that is equally beautiful and frightening. The Academy rightly awarded Natalie Portman a Best Actress Oscar for her mesmerizing performance as Nina, making her the last actor to win an Oscar for a horror performance. Although Black Swan didn’t take home the Best Picture trophy, it remains one of the most haunting films to be recognized by the Academy.
5
Get Out
A Groundbreaking And Timely Social Thriller
Get Out
- Release Date
-
February 24, 2017
- Runtime
-
1 hour, 44 minutes
- Director
-
Jordan Peele
When Get Out received its Best Picture nomination in 2018, it was a welcome exception to the Academy’s history of overlooking the horror genre. Jordan Peele’s directorial debut delivers a chilling examination of race relations in contemporary “post-racial” America using the ordinary setup of a young Black man, played by Daniel Kaluuya, meeting his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. The movie soon unfolds into a surreal and grotesque tale, using the vocabulary of horror and comedy to expose and satirize real societal horrors.
Peele’s original story carries the thematic depth of classic social thrillers like Night of the Living Dead and The Silence of the Lambs, earning it the critical respect the Academy rarely affords the blood-soaked genre and solidifying its place in horror history.
4
Jaws
A Timeless Monster Movie
Jaws
- Release Date
-
June 18, 1975
The mother of all monster movies, Jaws, was released in the summer of 1975 with enormous commercial success. Steven Spielberg’s landmark movie, an adaptation of Peter Benchley’s bestseller about a killer shark terrorizing a small beach town, became the first summer blockbuster of its time, revolutionizing Hollywood filmmaking and earning four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
Related
Ever since Jaws set the standard for Shark movies in 1975, it has become a thriving feature in the movie industry, and these titles embody that.
In contrast to the copycat shark movies that followed, Jaws is celebrated for its suspenseful storytelling. Spielberg sparingly used the film’s terrifying 25-foot mechanical shark, relying on the now-iconic musical score by John Williams and creative camera work to suggest the monster’s presence rather than show it, masterfully building tension from an unseen threat. As impressive as Jaws was, it failed to snag the Best Picture statue, yet its mark on pop culture as the movie that made a generation afraid to enter the water is enduring.
3
The Exorcist
A Head-Turning Horror Classic
The Exorcist
- Release Date
-
December 26, 1973
- Runtime
-
122 minutes
- Director
-
William Friedkin
Half a century after the first Academy Award Ceremony, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist made history as both the most shocking film ever made and the first horror movie to secure a spot in the Best Picture race. Released in 1973, The Exorcist instantly swept America with controversy as its intense portrayal of the demonic possession of a twelve-year-old girl terrified and disturbed audiences, with certain visceral scenes still burned into popular memory over 50 years later.
While it only managed to win two of its ten Oscar nominations (for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing), The Exorcist broke new ground for horror movies in the industry and has become a classic of the genre.
2
The Sixth Sense
An Unconventional And Genre-Defining Ghost Story
The Sixth Sense
- Release Date
-
August 6, 1999
When it opened in 1999, The Sixth Sense was a cultural phenomenon. Both a box office and critical sensation, it earned six Oscar nominations and catapulted M. Night Shyamalan into the spotlight as a polarizing filmmaker known for his trademark twist endings. The film follows a child psychologist, played by Bruce Willis, as he begins treating a disturbed young boy with a unique problem: he can see the dead.
Related
10 Best Ghost Horror Movies, Ranked
There are countless great horror movies that focus on ghosts, but some are arguably better than others.
Shyamalan’s genre masterclass made him a household name, and while it delivered cinema’s most-talked-about twist, the film’s final reveal was not its only strength. The Sixth Sense thoughtfully implemented jump scares within a tightly structured emotional story, seamlessly blending horror and drama, which would influence the next generation of genre-blending horror films, including fellow Oscar nomineee Get Out.
1
The Silence Of The Lambs
The Oscar-Winning Scary Movie That Re-Wrote The Rulebook
It wasn’t until 1992 that a horror movie managed to pull off a Best Picture win. Sweeping all five of the major Academy Awards, Jonathan Demme’s The Silence Of The Lambs is one of the most acclaimed films in history and, to date, is the only horror film to earn the Best Picture title.
Based on Thomas Harris’ best-selling novel of the same name, it follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who is tasked with interviewing imprisoned serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter for insight into the mind of another killer, Buffalo Bill. Demme’s classic elevated the horror genre with its layered themes and dark realism, setting the stage for future Best Picture horror contenders and proving they can compete for the biggest prize in the film industry.
More
8 Underrated Indie Horror Movies
These indie movies are surprisingly good and deserve more love than they’re currently getting. Here are the most underrated spooky indie movies.