Whenever movie awards season rolls around each year, horror fans have come to expect that their favorite movies will get snubbed by the Academy Awards…not to mention the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Directors Guild Awards, etc. But is this really true? Are horror films always overlooked by the Hollywood types who hand out awards? The good news is that horror movies have actually won quite a few big awards over the years. Here’s some Oscar-winning horror you can put on your watch list.
The Exorcist
Few horror movies have earned more Oscar nominations than The Exorcist. This film won for Best Writing and Sound, but it was nominated in many of the major categories: Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, and Cinematography…to name a few, but not all, of its nominations.
The Silence of the Lambs
This movie won big at the Oscars, so big that it joined a very small group of movies that won for virtually all of the major categories. The wins? Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Writing. It was also nominated for Editing and Sound. The Silence of the Lambs is pretty much the only horror movie to win Best Picture.
Jaws
Jaws was a phenomenon when it came out in the 70s, driving millions of people off the beach and into the movie theater. Its popularity didn’t stop the Academy from recognizing the good filmmaking behind the blockbuster. While Jaws lost Best Picture to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, it did win for Music Score, Film Editing, and Sound Mixing.
Aliens
While the original Alien film did earn a win for Best Visual Effects and a nomination for Production Design, the 1986 sequel had an impressive 7 nominations and 2 wins. Aliens won for Best Visual Effects and Sound Editing and was nominated for Best Actress, Music, Editing, Sound, and Production Design.
Black Swan
Was Black Swan a horror movie? The question has been debated, but many film experts do put it in the same psychological horror category as movies like Psycho, The Haunting, and Altered States. Natalie Portman won the award for Best Actress, and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, and Editing.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The noted director Francis Ford Coppola was behind this retelling of the classic vampire story. While he didn’t get a nod, the movie did win a not too shabby 3 Oscars: Best Costume Design, Makeup, and Sound Editing. It was also nominated for Best Production Design.
Images via IMDb.
