What’s your favorite scary movie? For decades, horror movies have dominated pop culture. When was the last time you were able to drive behind a log truck and not get nervous? When could you last look at a clown and not feel chills? While the cast and crew behind all horror classics are masters of the scare, the scariest thing to them is that they won’t get their flowers for it.
Okay, maybe I should amend my statement. While it isn’t impossible for a horror film to get Academy recognition, historically, horror films have only dominated categories like makeup and special effects.
For a while, it seemed that a win in one of the big five categories was unattainable. But why is that? This is a genre beloved by audiences for decades, so why is it so hard to garner recognition during awards season?
What’s so scary about horror?
To put it simply: it’s cheap — or viewed as such. Horror is viewed as cheap and easy entertainment because it’s easy to get a reaction from someone’s head being cut off with a chainsaw; meanwhile, in other genres, it’s harder to move an audience emotionally with a riveting drama. The genre in and of itself is viewed as pure entertainment with no substance to it, which, frankly, couldn’t be more wrong.
For decades, the horror genre has been the master of the subtext, using creatures and masked cretins as stand-ins for much larger issues. A good example of this is Night of the Living Dead (1968), directed by George A. Romero.
Considered the first official zombie movie, Night of the Living Dead made cultural waves when it was first released. Being the first horror movie to feature a black man as a lead, the film touched on many of the public’s fears during the late 1960s.
The film explored racism and tension during the civil rights movement in the United States, as well as fears about the Vietnam War. The hordes of zombies served as a metaphor for a “faceless enemy” set on a path of only destruction, which critiqued the country’s handling of the Vietnam War at the time.
Despite all this, the film garnered a total of zero Academy Award nominations.
Horror Nominations
Horror and the Academy Awards have always had a complicated relationship. It wouldn’t be until 1974 that a horror film would even be nominated for Best Picture. In 1974, The Exorcist was the first horror film to be nominated for the award.
Released in 1973, The Exorcist broke boundaries when it came to special effects and scares, while also serving as a terrifying allegory for female puberty; however, it would only end up taking home two awards (Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound).
In fact, the only other horror film to receive a best picture nomination during the ’70s and ’80s would be 1975’s Jaws, which won Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Editing.
It wasn’t until 1992, with Johnathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs, that a horror flick would take home the big award, and be the only horror film to ever win Best Picture.
The Silence of the Lambs would completely redefine what a horror movie could be. Mixing suspense, psychological elements, and grim horror into a bone-chilling mystery that left audiences captivated. It would end up taking home the big five awards of the night, winning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Adapted Screenplay, ushering in a new generation of horror.
Despite a sort of horror renaissance that has taken place since the 2000s, no other horror film has won since, which is baffling to many film fans. Whenever snubs come up in the Oscar conversation, there will almost always be a horror movie mentioned. I mean, just bring up Hereditary, when Toni Collette was snubbed for her performance in the film, and you’re sure to get a heated response. The awards landscape for horror seemed very bleak.
That is, until this year.
Horror in 2026
Could 2026 be the year the tides shift once more for horror? The tides of horror seem to be changing, as the 2026 Oscars feature horror films in almost every category. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners recently broke records as the most nominated film in Academy history, and it seems to be the frontrunner to win.
Along with Sinners, there was an influx of horror nominees this year. Weapons, Frankenstein, and The Ugly Stepsister all received nominations and are favored to win in most categories. Could this be another like The Silence of the Lambs, or will the Academy fall back into old habits? I guess the scariest part is waiting to see.
The Academy Awards have always been scared of horror, as the genre has a complicated history with the awards. It’ll be interesting to see how this year plays out and whether or not the 2026 awards will break the cycle. Make sure to tune in to the 2026 Oscars on March 15 to find out!
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