Last year, over 670 films were released in America, and that number has been steadily increasing every year since the end of the pandemic. That’s why I believe the Academy Awards’ limited selection of nominees will never be able to please everyone no matter how hard they try. That being said, it’s awfully clear that the […]
Last year, over 670 films were released in America, and that number has been steadily increasing every year since the end of the pandemic. That’s why I believe the Academy Awards’ limited selection of nominees will never be able to please everyone no matter how hard they try. That being said, it’s awfully clear that the Academy likes some kinds of movies more than others, as horror fans have noticed that genre productions are very rarely rewarded at the annual ceremony.
And while we think there’s a good chance that both Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance might earn their very own statuettes at this Sunday’s event, today we’d like to take a look back on other horror movies that were infamously snubbed at the Oscars. After all, it wasn’t very long ago that nearly all scary movies had to fight to be seen as equals among other genre pictures.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining a “snub” as any situation where a critically acclaimed film failed to win an award despite there being a general consensus that it deserved one. That being said, this list is obviously based on personal opinion, so don’t forget to comment below with your own underappreciated favorites if you think we missed a particularly bothersome snub.
While we’re including Psycho on this list because it’s Alfred Hitchcock’s most popular film, the fact is that the vast majority of the director’s genre output was unfairly snubbed by the Academy. Psycho’s case just hurts a bit more because of the film’s current status as one of the most beloved genre productions of all time.
Nevertheless, Psycho did end up being nominated for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, but it ultimately failed to secure any of these awards despite being both a cultural phenomenon and a favorite among reviewers. This loss is actually what popularized the idea that the Academy hates the horror genre, as even critics were baffled by the results.
5. Split (2016)
M. Night Shyamalan’s thrilling “supervillain” flick was warmly received as a much-needed return to form for its controversial director, but audiences almost unanimously agreed that James McAvoy’s performance (or is it “performances”?) was the glue that held this strange thriller together. After all, bringing Kevin Wendell Crumb’s conflicting personalities to life was no small feat, especially when so many of the “character transitions” happened on-screen.
However, while the film was nominated for several awards in the international circuit, it received absolutely no recognition from the Academy when Awards Season came around. Of course, if you ask me, McAvoy didn’t deserve an Oscar – he deserved 24!
4. Carrie (1976)
Sidney Lumet’s Network is clearly one of the greatest movies of all time, so it’s not that surprising that Sissy Spacek lost the Best Actress Award to Faye Dunaway as Diana Christensen back in 1976. However, that still doesn’t explain how Piper Laurie (who played the memorably villainous mother in Carrie) lost Best Supporting Actress to Louise Schumacher – who played a much less dramatic role in Network.
Thankfully, the Oscars would make up for this blunder by rewarding more Stephen King adaptations in the future, though it’s still a shame that Brian DePalma’s horrific opus didn’t get the recognition it deserved.
3. The Fly (1986)
David Cronenberg’s disturbing remake of The Fly may have been nominated for (and later won) Best Makeup at the 59th Academy Awards Ceremony, but genre fans were almost unanimously displeased with the fact that neither Geena Davis’ nor Jeff Goldblum’s tragic performances were recognized by the Academy despite the actors having already earned a collection of slightly less prestigious prizes.
In fact, beloved movie critic Gene Siskel even went on to claim that Jeff Goldblum was “stiffed out” of a nomination for Best Actor that year due to older Academy voters feeling uncomfortable about starting a precedent by rewarding a horror picture.
It’s a real shame that we’re still dealing with this issue nearly four decades later.
2. Suspiria (2018)
From its excellent performances by heavy hitters like Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Mia Goth to its amazing art direction and costume design (not to mention that haunting score by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke), Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 Suspiria remake should have cleaned house at the 91st Academy Awards. Unfortunately, the Academy simply couldn’t get past the picture’s genre trappings, which is why this critical darling wasn’t nominated for any awards despite having already amassed a sizable collection of prizes in the festival circuit.
Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the only time that Guadagnino’s work would be overlooked at the Oscars, as his excellent Challengers also failed to receive a single nomination in this year’s race despite being one of the best movies of the decade.
1. Hereditary (2018)
If there’s one opinion that unites every single corner of horror fandom, it’s the idea that Toni Collette deserved an Oscar for her memorable performance as Annie Graham in Ari Aster’s modern classic, Hereditary. Unfortunately, while the actress managed to earn a handful of international accolades, hers was yet another case of the Academy ignoring a top-tier artist because their incredible work happened to be featured in a scary movie.
