On January 24, this year’s Oscar nominees were announced. Some of the nominees made perfect sense (think Everything Everywhere All At Once’s nominations for 8 categories, including 11 nominations total) but at the same time, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of nominations for some of the best films of 2022, specifically the horror films. Movies like Nope, X, Pearl, and Fresh were all some of my highest-rated movies of the year, but I was shocked to see that none of them received an Oscar nomination.
“I think that it’s very political… It’s not entirely based on the quality of a project per se.”
Mia Goth on “Pearl” not being nominated for an Oscar.
Recently, X and Pearl star, Mia Goth, was asked about her lack of nomination for her performances. She stated in an interview with Jake’s Takes, “I think that it’s very political.” She goes on to say, “It’s not entirely based on the quality of a project per se… If they wanted to engage with the wider public, I think it would be of benefit, really.” (link) So, what does this mean, really? I think that the horror/thriller genre is often seen as lesser than or not of the “prestigious” level of film that the Oscars strive for, which is not fair to the makers of horror movies.
This idea that horror is not as “prestigious” is not something new either. In the past decade, films such as Hereditary, The Witch, Midsommar, The Conjuring, and Us have not been recognized by the Academy Awards in any capacity. There are a few films such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite which were recognized by the Academy, but I think there is still a distance to go before horror is accurately represented in the Academy Awards. I don’t think it’s controversial to say that these are some of the best movies to come out in recent years. Not to mention that two of these (Midsommar and Hereditary) as well as X and Pearl were all directed by Ari Aster. Aster has created some of the best horror movies in recent times alongside directors like Jordan Peele and they should be recognized and awarded for their achievements on a larger scale. Actors in this category struggle with recognition as well. Mia Goth, Anya Taylor-Joy, Florence Pugh, Daniel Kaluuya, and Alex Wolff have all never received awards for their work in horror from the Academy Awards.
This clear rejection of the horror genre is unfair to the many horror directors, actors, and other crew members who deserve prestigious recognition for their talents. In the end, it seems as though no huge change in the way the Academy Awards works will be happening anytime soon, so all I can say is to support the horror genre in other ways. You can always advocate for your favorite horror movies and celebrate the awards they do win, even if not from the Academy. You can also look out for new movies coming up such as Ari Aster’s next film Beau is Afraid, Robert Eggers’ remake of the classic Nosferatu, as well as the next film in The Conjuring franchise, The Nun 2 and the next in the Scream franchise, Scream VI.
