Some of the best movies ever made in the history of cinema are horror films, but they get seldom recognized by the Academy. If you look at the facts, just six films have gotten a nod at the Academy. The first film to get its due recognition at the Oscar podium was “The Exorcist.” The film truly defied any stereotypes that existed at that time and showed us that even if you make something terrifying and ugly, it can still entertain people. The 1973 film became the first horror movie ever to get a nomination in the Best Picture category.
The admiration received by “The Exorcist” paved the way for “Jaws,” which, like the former, redefined the rules of the game. The “daytime” terror was never tried before, but the innovativeness of the film established it as a new mode of horror storytelling. “Jaws” is a cult classic, and it was not until 16 years later when another horror film followed its suit.
It was not easy, though, and it did take Anthony Hopkins’ jaw-dropping acting in the 1990 film The Silence of the Lambs to finally prove to the Academy that their criteria for the Best Picture winner have become outdated. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster starrer etched its name as the film (and the only film so far) to win the Best Picture Academy Award. Apart from Hopkins and Foster’s spellbinding acting, the character study shown in “The Silence of the Lambs” also turned heads present in the Academy at that time. Apart from the best picture, Foster and Hopkins were also bestowed with a Best Actor award in female and male categories, respectively.
For attention, horror movies need to be more competent than the rest. The Sixth Sense had to introduce fine pearls of delicacy and a mind-boggling climax to follow the path left by The Silence of the Lambs. Though the film is a cult classic, it is not even Bruce Willis’s best performance.
Eleven years later, Black Swan transcended the horror genre a step further and became the fifth horror film to win the Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.
Black Swan was so different from the rest that it created its genre now commonly called “Elevated Horror.” A troubled mind struggling with the nature of reality was the central theme in Black Swan and paved the way for future movies like Jordan Peele’s Get Out or tv series like The Haunting of Hill House to make a name for themselves in the market.
Get Out showed the virtuosity of actors like Daniel Kaluuya and directors like Jordan Peele and pushed them further in their careers. It remains the sixth and the last film to get a nomination in the Best Picture category. “Get Out” has also been credited as an influential film that inspires many young filmmakers to make horror films with an embedded social message.
Academy is solely focusing on diversity now and is aspiring to give underrepresented sections a voice in society. However cool it may be, but it still makes it difficult for highly creative horror content to get a nod just for its quality. However, new tv shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Haunting of Hill House, and Ratched have shown that horror stories are here to stay regardless of the fact whether they get recognized somewhere or not.
Edward Lewis is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cybersecurity. He writes about the latest updates regarding mcafee.com/activate and how it can improve the work experience of users. His articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs, and websites.
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