Here Are Some Of The Horror Movies That Deserve Oscars — And The Ones That Actually Got Them
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On today's episode of BuzzFeed Daily, we broke down the top pop culture headlines AND discussed why the Oscars keep ignoring the horror genre. You can listen below or scroll down to read more about the interview!
So let's dive right into it! Recently we talked to BuzzFeed’s Nora Dominick about the biggest horror movie Oscar snubs and why the genre consistently gets overlooked. Here's some of what we learned:
BuzzFeed Daily: So you recently asked the BuzzFeed community which horror movie performances they think deserved an Oscar. Now I'm sure Toni Collette in Hereditary had to come up more than a few times. But did you notice any other popular favorites?
Nora Dominick: I think the big ones were obviously Toni Collette for Hereditary, Lupita Nyong'o for Us, Emily Blunt for A Quiet Place, and then Florence Pugh for Midsommar. Those were kind of across the board, the ones that people think at least recently that have been utterly snubbed by not at least getting a nomination.
BuzzFeed Daily: What about really obscure picks? Were there any people who suggested something that was sort of outside the box that hadn't occurred to you before?
ND: There were a few. I hadn't actually thought of Barry Keoghan, who was in The Killing of the Sacred Deer. They were shocked by his performance and think more people should talk about it. And then also, somebody submitted Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark, and I had never heard of or seen that movie. That was another one I hadn't seen on a horror snub list in a while.
BuzzFeed Daily: In general, the Academy is pretty notorious for ignoring not only acting performances but directing screenwriting, visual effects, etc. According to an article by Insider from earlier this year, only 18 horror movies have won Oscars in the awards show's nearly 100-year history. What is it about the horror genre that makes it so unlikely to earn that recognition?
ND: I think it's still a genre that people don't think is prestige enough for the Academy. I think that voting board is still very picky. I think we see the same thing with big blockbuster movies, like action movies and that kind of thing. But horror is an interesting one because you're able to tell some really complex stories within that genre. But somehow, people still can't get past the fact that, like, it's a horror movie.
BuzzFeed Daily: To this day, The Silence of the Lambs is the only horror movie to win a Best Picture Oscar. Jonathan Demme, Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, and Ted Tally also won for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay, respectively, making it the third movie ever to win the "Big 5" Awards. Why do you think that movie in particular managed to pull that off?
ND: I think it was kind of the perfect storm of everything. You've got great filmmaking, a story that everybody was intrigued by and wanted to watch. And you also had these blockbuster and career-defining performances. It was also 1991. It was like this big "psychological thriller horror" movie just really busted onto the scene. You had Jodie Foster in a literal career-defining performance. So, yeah, I think it was just the perfect storm, and that's why it was able to sweep those categories as well.
BuzzFeed Daily: To be fair, the Academy doesn't always ignore horror performances. We mentioned The Silence of the Lambs. Can you tell us about some other horror actors that did win Oscars or even just earned nominations?
ND: So the big one I always think about is Kathy Bates winning Best Actress for Misery, and that was obviously massive and huge. So that's like one of the few times I think besides, like The Silence of the Lambs, that acting has really taken that main category. You also had Ruth Gordon from Rosemary's Baby winning Best Supporting Actress. And those are kind of the two big ones.
BuzzFeed Daily: So for the few horror movies that do break through, what is it about them that grabs the academy's attention? Do you think there's a theme when it comes to the kind of movies they're willing to recognize?
ND: I think it's kind of what we were saying before, where I think people are starting to realize the horror genre can tell such complex stories, and it doesn't have to just be a horror movie where things are popping out and scaring the audience. It can tell these really complex narratives and be a psychological thriller or just a plain horror movie.
So I think those tend to grab the Academy's attention, but it's also still so hard and those categories are more stacked than they were when Rosemary's Baby or Misery, or The Silence of the Lambs came out. There are just a lot more movies nowadays, so I think it's still hard when you're choosing between the drama film that everybody knows is a bread and butter prestige film, and then like a horror movie.
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