Are the Academy voters a bunch of scaredy cats? You might come to that conclusion if you cast an eye over the all-time list of Oscar nominations and notice how few horror movies have ever made the running.
Before the success this year of French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat’s unhinged body horror The Substance, just six scary movies had ever been nominated for Best Picture – despite Academy Awards being handed out for almost a century. The Exorcist, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs, Sixth Sense, Black Swan and Get Out. Only one, 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, actually took home Hollywood’s most esteemed prize. Jonathan Demme’s serial killer classic in fact swept the board to become the third film in history to pocket the Academy’s “Big Five” awards – but generally horror has been snubbed a lot more often than it’s been celebrated on the podium.
