The Substance took audiences by storm when it was released on Sept. 20, 2024. The body horror film follows Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity who resorts to a black-market drug aptly called The Substance to create a younger, better version of herself, portrayed by Margaret Qualley. The film delves into themes of beauty, body image, and identity, critiquing societal expectations and pressures placed on women, especially in the entertainment industry.
For many, The Substance is more than just your stereotypical horror movie. It’s a reflection of our societal obsession with youth, perfection, and comparison. The film isn’t at all subtle with its message; instead, it takes these concepts and pushes them to the very extreme. In the end, you’re left staring at something that resembles a human: a woman who’s been pushed so far that you can’t help but feel something shift deep within you.
The film was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, with Demi Moore winning Best Actress. Following this ceremony, The Substance was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and the most coveted award of the night: Best Picture.
With awards season upon us, horror fans (including myself) are asking: is the genre finally getting the recognition it deserves? Historically, horror has been the Academy’s black sheep — financially successful, critically praised, and yet consistently overlooked at the Oscars.
Horror’s Oscars History
In the 96 years since the founding of the Oscars, only seven horror films — including The Substance — have been nominated for Best Picture, and of those, only one has won: The Silence of the Lambs in 1992. Even widely acclaimed horror films have faced Oscar snubs: Psycho (1960) received four nominations and no wins; The Exorcist (1973) was the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture but lost to the much more Academy-friendly caper film The Sting; and Hereditary (2018), despite Toni Collette’s performance, received zero nominations.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) redefined the way that we view movies today. Before its release, movies didn’t have official, advertised start times. Instead, people would walk in at any time during a theater’s open hours and sit and watch whatever movie was playing at the time, at whatever point in the showing.
The structure of Psycho doesn’t lend well to this movie-viewing method. If people walked in during the middle, they would miss the twists and ultimately end up spoiling it for themselves. Despite Hitchcock’s contributions to cinema, Psycho wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture.
Horror films have received nominations in technical categories like cinematography (Nosferatu) or visual effects (Alien: Romulus), but they rarely break into major categories like acting, directing, or Best Picture. The Academy has long viewed horror as a “lesser” genre: sensational, exploitative, and lacking the prestige of drama or more arthouse films.
The Rise of Modern Horror
However, modern horror has evolved in ways that are beginning to demand critical attention. Directors like Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, Nope), Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), and Robert Eggers (The Witch, Nosferatu) have redefined the genre, shifting to more psychologically and socially relevant commentary. Production companies like A24 and Blumhouse have produced critically acclaimed horror films that have resonated with audiences and critics alike.
As horror movies lend themselves to more socially relevant themes, they’ve begun to push beyond genre limitations. Get Out tackles themes of racism, The Babadook explores grief, It Follows deals with trauma, and now, The Substance critiques unrealistic beauty standards and the pressures of aging in Hollywood. These films prove that horror is more than just jump scares and gore; it’s an outlet for social commentary.
Despite this shift, horror films still struggle to break into major award categories. Hereditary (2018) and The Witch (2015) received zero Oscar nominations despite their critical and commercial success. In the 21st century, The Substance is only the third horror film to be nominated for Best Picture, following Get Out (2018) and Black Swan (2011), neither of which ended up winning.
Though Parasite won Best Picture in 2020, many critics argue that it’s not really a horror movie despite its suspenseful moments. Inkoo Kang, a film critic for Criterion, described Parasite as a mix of social satire, dark comedy, and thriller, incorporating “horror-like starts and stabs” but ultimately falling short of the horror classification. To be more direct, Britannica defines Parasite as a “South Korean thriller and black-comedy film.”
The Substance’s Oscar Chances
As for The Substance, it remains an underdog. Awards show predictions currently rank it near the bottom, with Variety placing it ninth most likely to win Best Picture, while The Hollywood Reporter places it at eighth.
But what if it wins? What would this mean for the genre?
If The Substance were to take home the Oscar for Best Picture, it could change the landscape of horror forever. A Best Picture win would signal that the Academy is finally recognizing the genre’s capability to deliver complex, layered storytelling and social commentary. It could open the door for other horror films to be considered serious cinematic works that are deserving of critical attention and accolades.
Not only that, but it would send a powerful message to the entertainment industry that acknowledges the struggles women face with body image and age in Hollywood. For an actress like Demi Moore, who has long been in the public eye, receiving an Oscar for a role that critiques those very pressures would be both a personal and cultural victory. It would be a moment that says to women, especially those in film, that they’re more than their looks and that their stories matter.
Will horror finally get its due? We’ll find out when the Oscars air on Sunday, March 2.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest!