Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
So, somebody on Quora asked me an interesting question – Why are horror movies not considered for the Oscars? And it’s the kind of question that I could write pages on, but here’s a short version of what I think –
It’s not like horror movies are never considered for Oscars; in 1973, “The Exorcist” made history by becoming the first-ever horror movie to be nominated for the ‘best picture’ category, even though it didn’t win. However, the creators did take home two Oscars: one for Best Screenplay and another for Best Sound.
Directed by William Friedkin, with a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, here’s the fun fact about “The Exorcist” – Warner Bros, the studio behind the film had low expectations for the film. It did not feature popular actors, had gone over-budget, and was about demonic possession, not exactly stuff that drew audiences to the theaters, so they did not even hold preview shows for critics! And then it was released on only 30 screens initially. Only after it opened to a roaring response was the film expanded to more screens. Until Greta Gerwig’s Barbie came along, according to a news report in Quartz – The Exorcist was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time for Warner Bros in its 100 years of history. Here’s an excerpt from the report – the highest-grossing movie of all time for Warner Bros. is still The Exorcist, released in 1973, which made $428.2 million that year worldwide. Accounting for inflation, that would be about $2.9 billion today, more than double the take of any Warner Bros. film released since.
Now the inflation calculation could be tricky, but that doesn’t change the fact that the film made a ton of money. So here’s a key takeaway from “The Exorcist” story – even the creators and studio executives didn’t believe a horror movie would interest critics and garner any critical acclaim! It wasn’t until the audience acceptance that the makers realized what they had on their hands – an Oscar-worthy title.
And that’s really what happens to horror movies; there’s both deliberate or unwitting snobbery and bias against the genre. In the case of “The Exorcist”, even its own producers had little faith in its potential. Because supernatural horror relies on, well, superstitions, screams, scares, gore, and blood to entertain the viewer, and thus isn’t considered “high art” – the unsaid criteria sought out by the Oscar panel. Pfft. Oscar panels have always had a soft spot for movies that are high on social issues, or racial and cultural elements. Horror movies are considered pure entertainment, and a traditional horror film would have to shatter box office records like “The Exorcist” to make the critics take notice and give it a second thought. But here’s the other thing – Oscars don’t have a soft spot for box office hits anyway. Or Margot Robbie would’ve at least got a nomination for Barbie. But let’s get back to Horror…
While traditional horror movies are often overlooked by the Oscars, there’s only one horror sub-genre the panel seems to make an exception for – Psychological horror. In 1992, “The Silence of the Lambs” made history by winning the Oscar for “Best Picture”. Most of the other horror films (except for “Jaws”) that made it to the Oscars are also psychological horrors – “The Sixth Sense”, “The Black Swan”, and Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”, which came out in 2017, won the Oscar for Best Screenplay.
I saw “The Sixth Sense” when I was a kid; I don’t remember much and cannot really comment on it. But both “The Black Swan” and “Get Out” serve as powerful allegories on societal problems. In Black Swan, protagonist Nina’s obsession with perfection is a cutting critique of the exhausting rat race people get caught up in, burning themselves out, putting ‘the job’ before their own well-being. While “Get Out” uses to shock to expose the racism and everyday microaggressions that black individuals face in white spaces.
Now, “Oscar-bait” movies have become a genre in itself, films that creators make keeping in mind the kind of “high art” and sentimental or social value the Oscar panel looks for in shortlisting nominees. These creators are certainly not making horror movies, given the aversion critics show towards the genre. To make it to the Oscars, horror makers will have to walk the tightrope between thrilling fans with shocks and scares, while managing to squeeze in a powerful allegory on some societal issue to woo awards panels. It’s not an impossible ask, but definitely tough.
It will take an exorcism of the deep-rooted bias among critics against horror movies for the genre to find more acceptance with big award events. Honestly, as a huge horror fan, I think the genre should have its own awards category.
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