1 day Ago By Patrick Cavanaugh
Coralie Fargeat’s 2024 film The Substance is undeniably one of the year’s most thought-provoking, boundary-pushing, and crowd-pleasing experiences a cinemagoer could enjoy. Anchored by a full-throttle performance by Demi Moore (who was supported by the equally talented Margaret Qualley), it was also one of the most outlandish, grotesque, and bizarre movies of the decade thus far. The power of The Substance couldn’t be denied, as it even managed to earn Oscar nominations in three of the biggest categories — Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress — as well as two more for Best Original Screenplay and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
For such a provocative film to be recognized by an iconic organization is an impressive shift in perception of the genre, and while it’s yet to be seen if the movie takes home the Oscar in any of these categories, fans shouldn’t expect a new trend to be forming. Psycho , The Birds , The Shining , Halloween , The Thing , A Nightmare on Elm Street , The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , and Scream are undeniably some of the most accomplished and beloved horror films in cinematic history. In addition to their widespread acclaim over the decades, another thing they have in common is that they never earned any Academy Awards.
Every year, a new batch of genre films pushes not only the genre to new heights (and depths), but also pushes the cinematic medium into unexpected places. The passion for these works means that, by the time prestigious organizations nominate the standout experiences of a respective year, fans decry how the horror genre is overlooked for such honors. While every member of the cast and crew of a nominated horror movie would appreciate the acknowledgment, the genre’s tendency to explore boundary-pushing and taboo topics also means that no matter how talented a group of creatives might be, their exploits exceed far beyond traditional accolades earned by safer cinema.
There are a number of metrics that can be used when trying to determine a film’s worth, ranging from box office success to critical reception to awards recognition. These markers can all be used to establish relative effectiveness, though they are far from the be-all, end-all statistic for a film’s worth. John Carpenter’s The Thing is currently regarded as a seminal piece of sci-fi terror, though it was a critical and box-office disaster when it landed in theaters in 1982.
Much of the contemporary praise centers around Rob Bottin’s special effects work, but Bottin never scored a nomination for his makeup. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining was met with mixed reviews upon its release, with Gene Siskel claiming it was a “crashing disappointment” with “virtually no thrills.” The Shining wasn’t totally ignored by awards organizations, as star Shelley Duvall and Stanley Kubrick earned Razzie Awards nominations for Worst Actress and Worst Director, respectively.
The list is truly endless for horror movies that are considered staples of cinema that were entirely overlooked when they were released. Virtually every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as do other notorious organizations, reminds fans of all genres how these ceremonies serve as gatekeeping events meant only for “real” cinema. By regularly overlooking the merits of horror (as well as significant chunks of sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero cinema), these awards merely showcase how out of touch these organizations really are.
Yet, no matter how frustrating these nominations and awards might feel for how misguided their priorities are, this doesn’t make a genre fan love horror films any less. The Oscars don’t always get things wrong, though, as movies like The Exorcist , Rosemary’s Baby , Get Out , The Fly , Black Swan , and Jaws all earned Oscars. The crowning achievements in horror came at the 64th Academy Awards when The Silence of the Lambs won Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay, along with the top prize of Best Picture.
The 90th Academy Awards also awarded a genre film Best Picture in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water (with del Toro also taking home Best Director) and, while Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite might not have been overtly horror, its effectiveness came from it embracing a variety of genres, as it went on to win Best Picture (and Best Director) at the 92nd Academy Awards. Two of the most highly regarded horror films of the 2010s are Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook and Ari Aster’s Hereditary , both of which are anchored by riveting performances by female actors Essie Davis and Toni Collette, respectively. Both films earned critical praise, especially for their lead performances, both earned awards momentum leading toward Oscar nominations, and both films were overlooked by The Academy.
Still, the lack of nominations for either film doesn’t diminish the legacy they have not only already enjoyed, but the legacy that will continue to persist over the coming decades. Back in 2023, even Collette addressed not earning a nomination. “It’s very sweet that people get so irate that I wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.
It’s really nice, people care,” Collette shared on Watch What Happens Live . In this sense, her omission from the Oscars nominations offers opportunities for fans to connect with her on a more direct, personal level than could be conjured with a golden statue. Even without either of these actors earning nominations for these roles (though Collette had already earned a Supporting Actress nomination for her work in the horror movie The Sixth Sense ), their careers have thrived and the groundswell of support saw their fanbases grow exponentially.
Neither of these actors or their respective films needed the Oscars to cement their place in genre history. Arguably any filmmaker or actor would say that recognition for their work by legendary organizations is the icing on the cake of bringing compelling narratives to life and far from the ultimate goal of the projects they pursue. When the Oscars recognize outsider cinema it’s assuredly a win for the genre as a whole, but far from being anywhere close to an expectation .
A film of any genre earning a nomination is based on a perfect storm of factors, as they often require every single collaborator to bring their best work to a project and the timing of these releases could help or hinder the accolades bestowed upon them. Had films like The Babadook or Hereditary landed in theaters a year prior or later, the field of nominees could have looked entirely different, and similarly, had Black Swan come out a year later, Natalie Portman might not have won the Oscar for Best Actress. A win for horror is a win for horror fans and cinema at large.
The Substance even earning these nominations might put it on the radar of some audiences who typically avoid the genre, opening the door to a vast expanse of compelling stories to the uninitiated. It will also inspire financiers to invest money in projects that they might have otherwise passed had they not seen as viable investments. Still, even if The Substance comes up empty-handed at the ceremony, this won’t at all dilute the tremendous accomplishments of Fargeat’s movie or of any of the films that came before it or will come after it.
Horror films are typically made by and for weirdos on the fringes of culture, and whether they begin to dominate major awards shows or are eradicated from contention in perpetuity, the weirdos will celebrate provocative pictures..
