Horror Has Oscar Judges on the Edge of Their Seats

One thing stood out from Thursday’s much-anticipated and much analyzed Oscar nominations ceremony. Though Ryan Coogler’s Sinners received a record-breaking number of nominations, Coogler’s triumph was only part of the astonishing success of horror films.

Usually the Academy overlooks the horror genre as far as it can. The list of horror films nominated for an Oscar is short. Prestige films like The Exorcist, The Silence of the Lambs, Black Swan, The Sixth Sense, and Get Out are among the very few to break the mold and garner a best picture accolade.

Last year’s list, though, did have a few significant horror nominees, including Coralie Fargeat’s body horror The Substance, which garnered five nominations, including best picture, while Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu remake had four nominations in cinematography, production design, costume design, and competed against The Substance in best makeup and hairstyling. While Nosferatu unfortunately did not take home any statues, The Substance walked away holding the Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling.

This year’s nominations ceremony, though, was even more horrific — the genre had its best year ever with 26 nominations. The ceremony started strong with Amy Madigan being nominated for best actress in a supporting role for her performance as Gladys in Weapons. The Ugly Stepsister was also nominated for best makeup and hairstyling. Guillermo Del Toro made a strong return with his adaptation of Frankenstein, after taking home the 2022 Oscar for best animated film with his Pinocchio adaptation. Indeed, Del Toro’s tragic monster film chalked up nine Oscar nominations, including production and design nods, a best supporting actor nomination for Jacob Elordi, and even a nomination for Best Picture. While Del Toro is obviously no stranger to either horror or the Oscars, it’s great to see the Academy recognizing one of his darker works.

The big showstopper, however, was Sinners, nominated for best original screenplay, best original song for “I Lied to You,” best supporting actress (Wunmi Mosaku), best supporting actor (Delroy Lindo), and best actor for Michael B. Jordan. Writer/director Coogler was nominated for best director and Sinners was also nominated for best picture — a title it is hotly expected to win.

The 26 horror nominations are mostly split between four films: Weapons, The Ugly Stepsister, Frankenstein and Sinners. If you count Bugonia as a horror film, you can take the count to 30. Horror won’t win that many actual Oscars since many of these films are competing against each other in their various categories but, for example, having both Sinners and Frankenstein in the best picture nomination means that there’s a good chance that Hollywood’s Academy will vote a horror movie as its best picture of 2025.

So, what changed?  After years of horror films getting passed over by the awards, why the recent change of heart?

Perhaps you could argue it was just a really good year for the genre — too good for Hollywood to ignore. It certainly was an amazing year for horror. Critically acclaimed directors like Coogler and Del Toro put out emotionally charged genre pieces, while lesser-known filmmakers like Zach Creeger and Emilie Blichfeldt made unique and brilliantly crafted surprises that took both horror veterans and average moviegoers by surprise. However, it goes deeper than that.

For the last decade or so, we’ve seen a rise of a subgenre of horror that its champions call “elevated horror” which takes the artistic part of its mission more seriously than its jump-scare mandate. While horror has always been a vessel for complex feelings and social commentary, the Academy’s newfound appreciation comes as this subgenre has added emotional depth and political consciousness to the already physically gripping experience of a horror movie. While horror has always been a genre with political and social commentary, elevated horror uses monsters as metaphors in masterful was thematically framing relationship dynamics, intense emotional feelings and cultural discussions.

Horror has always been a genre with strong allegorical value. In many successful horror films you will find social and political commentaries like Hellraiser’s sexually charged visuals of a nuclear family being torn apart in both a metaphorical and literal sense, found footage films like REC and Paranormal Activity that use our Big-Brother fear in an ever more surveilled world; Y2K era torture films like Saw and Hostel mirror controversial methods of torture even as they critique American consumerism; even 1930s monster movies like Dracula or The Creature from the Black Lagoon were allegories for xenophobic fears. Elevated horror takes these layers and adds levels of complexity and emotion, giving them the richness and texture of a major drama.

Films like The Babadook, Midsommar, Nope, Hereditary and The Witch have no hockey mask wearing psycho killers or leather clad demons but approaches their monsters in a more subtle fashion. Depression takes the form of a dark smothering being living in the basement, abusive relationships appear as pagan cults and family trauma becomes a demonic terror. Instead of cheap jump scares and PG-13 friendly bloodshed these films deliver horror with complex ideas and prestige performances that critics and audiences can’t ignore. Elevated horror’s recent commercial and critical successes have paved the way for horror to be taken seriously by everyone all the way up to the Academy. No longer do Oscar judges view horror as a cheap thrill to watch around Halloween, but as a genuine cinematic vehicle for mature and complex ideas.

Toni Collette’s performance as a grief-stricken mother in Ari Aster’s Hereditary was the Academy’s great miss. Her embodiment of the corrosive effects of family trauma, grief, and mental illness as a tortured mother who transforms into a demon’s vessel was unforgettable. Amy Madigan’s twisted turn as Gladys in Weapons stands on Colette’s shoulders and, if there was any justice, she would share the nomination.

In this cycle, Sinners transcended the elevated horror subgenre through Coogler’s allegory of white supremacist vampires sucking the blood of various ethnicities and cultures, while Del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein retains the horror of many twentieth century adaptations while returning to Mary Shelley’s deep meditation on parent-children relationships. As well as representing the subgenre, these films have set elevated horror a new standard.

While I love campy, bloody, and silly horror films, elevated horror films have the texture to get Academy votes. Studios, especially A24, have recognized that the genre is experientially satisfying and have added head and heart to the stomach-clenching fear and suspense that had been the main strength of much previous horror, to bring the genre into the Academy’s line of sight.

Does giving horror its proper flowers in this year’s list of nominees make up for the years of neglect? Probably not, but it’s a good start.