With a slew of excellent, critically acclaimed horror films in 2024, could awards bodies finally give them more consideration? A few thoughts.
Toni Collette in Hereditary. Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man. Mia Goth in Pearl. Christian Bale in American Psycho. Florence Pugh in Midsommar.
Horror films have long produced some fine, memorable performances, but they rarely tend to break through into the awards conversation. Or even if they’re talked about, they’re usually doomed to receive no love from the awards bodies themselves.
Why? Great question, and one that probably doesn’t have a simple answer. In general, horror films have been seen as trashy, low-brow forms of entertainment despite their long history of tackling social issues amid all the blood and guts. It’s only recently, with the rise of so-called “elevated horror” – anyone else hate that term? – that the genre’s reputation has started to slowly change. They still haven’t managed to truly break through to be considered for the big awards, though.
However, 2025 is looking promising. The awards season is about to kick off and 2024 has already been full of excellent, certainly awards-worthy horror films. In an ideal world, films such as Longlegs, The Substance, Heretic and The First Omen would be contenders in next year’s awards ceremonies, but the genre’s success in previous years remains a worry.
There’s hope though. Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, which won’t be in UK cinemas until January 2025, has recently been screened for critics and the social embargo has been lifted. The first reactions are ecstatic, praising almost every aspect of the film, from the visuals to the performances and overall atmosphere.
Eggers is already a well-liked and respected presence in Hollywood, a rare example of a genre director making it through to the upper classes of Hollywood directing royalty. Across his four features, Eggers has crafted himself a solid reputation as a genuine artist. His 2019 film The Lighthouse won him the FIPRESCI prize at the Cannes Film Festival, while its cinematographer squeezed into the Oscars race.
With such unanimous praise for his latest film, especially for the performances of Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård as well as Eggers’ artistic vision, could Nosferatu break the curse that’s been plaguing horror? And, more importantly, could it also open the door for other horrors to make it through?
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance has been the talk of many ever since it premiered at Cannes. Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley as the two sides of the same coin, the film has earned itself a reputation as a thoroughly gross but impressive body horror. Moore’s performance combines raw vulnerability with bubbling rage with fascinating results.
The film is made all the more powerful by the context of Moore’s career. One of the brightest stars of the late 80s and 90s, Moore has been open about her struggles with her body image and mental health. It lends The Substance just a little more authenticity and real world connection to make it an even more affecting affair. If this were a straight drama about an ageing actress being fired as she turned 50 and dealing with the emotional complications of it, the movie would arguably be a shoo-in for the awards.
Instead, Fargeat’s film is unapologetically horrifying. Moore and Qualley’s bodies are fetishised, ogled and violated in multiple different ways, leading up to a bloody finale. Will such a thing alienate awards voters? Probably.
The same goes for Longlegs, Osgood Perkins’ slow-burn horror thriller about Maika Monroe’s FBI agent hunting down the titular serial killer (Nicolas Cage). Longlegs was an exercise in eerie atmosphere and suspense, and Cage’s performance lingered in this writer’s mind long after the credits had rolled. All the things fans loved about Longlegs, or any horror film really, might prove too distancing for awards bodies.
Perhaps A24’s Heretic will have better luck. Much more palatable, both in structure and story, Heretic has had critics and audiences alike raving about Hugh Grant’s performance. Grant’s performance as the sinister Mr Reed is creepy, relaxed and not without humour. It can easily be mentioned in the same breath as Kathy Bates in Misery, Anthony Hopkins in Silence Of The Lambs and Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds, all of whom won Oscars for their work.
Of course, some horror films have been recognised for their excellence. Daniel Kaluuya scored a Best Actor nomination for his role in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which won Best Original Screenplay for Peele. The Exorcist was the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and 1963’s Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? garnered five nominations across other categories in total.
It’s not just horror that the awards bodies often overlook. Voters tend to prefer quality dramas from well-known directors and reward big, loud performances in films that fit into the mould of an awards success story. It’s not that these films are bad, it’s just that the Oscars, and most awards shows, are stuck rewarding the same types of films.
There’s a very high chance that at least one of this year’s horror films will get a nomination or two, but wouldn’t it be something if more than one was acknowledged in the same year? They wouldn’t be the exception, but the rule.
Even if that doesn’t happen, it feels like we’re closer to getting horror films the same level of acknowledgement as the usual suspects of awards ceremonies. Hopefully we’ll see Pennywise and Art The Clown on the Oscars red carpet soon.
