Back in 2018, withGet OutandThe Shape of Watergarnering nominations for Best Picture and receiving various wins, the refined world ofThe Academy Awardswas turned upside down. Sure,The Shape of Water, which won four Oscars, including Best Picture and BestDirector for Guillermo del Toro, takes a look at some pretty horrific things. And yes, it is more of a romantic creature feature and sociopolitical parable – butGet Outis a bona fidehorrormovie. Its nomination for Best Picture and an Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay make one wonder how many horror films have ever won an Oscar.
Updated December 20th, 2022: Curious about the scariest movies that have won Oscars? You’ll be happy to know this article was updated to keep the content fresh and up-to-date.
For starters, horror movies tend to be done on the quick. Due to this, their production values, performances, and screenplays tend to be not as good as, say,The Post. In fact, they rarely approach anything likeThe Phantom Thread, and they certainly don’t look anything likeDunkirk, if we’re sticking with 2018 as the game-changing year for horror. WithGet Out, we have a movie that has the nuance ofCall Me By Your Nameand the comic sensibility ofLady Bird,all wrapped up in a really good yarn of a thriller. However, there are many horror films that have garnered Oscars, but they’re just in categories that aren’t as sexy as things like Best Picture, Best Actor, or Best Actress.
Horror films ebb and flow. One minute they’re hot commodities and people can’t wait to make the nextSplit. The next minute the market is flooded, and we’ve got morefound footage picturesthan we know what to do with (thanks,Paranormal Activity). However, like all genres, there are times when horror movies are allowed to rise above themselves, garnering acclaim from people who aren’t just horror afficianods. It isn’t often. Dramas are the movies that tend to inhabit this space. However,Get OutandThe Shape of Water,followed by recent films likeNope, The Lighthouse, Love and Monsters, and more have reminded us that great art can be mainstream and make an important statement, epitomized by these 19 horror movies which actually won Oscars.
19The Omen – Best Original Score
Jerry Goldsmith’s score forThe Omenis nothing short of pitch-perfect. How does one score a film about a man who is raising the Antichrist? If you’re Jerry Goldsmith you create haunting strains that instill fear at every turn. There’s nothing aboutThe Omenthat is easy, and its score totally underpins that. This explains why Richard Donner’s classic was celebrated by the Academy for the mood that its music created.
Related:Best Horror Movie from Each Decade in Film History
18An American Werewolf in London – Best Makeup
This 1981 horror classic features Makeup that, to this day, looks incredible. There is so much aboutAn American Werewolf in Londonthat is perfect, one has to wonder why the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences didn’t give it a Best Picture nod (or at least a nomination). John Landis’s tale about a man who is attacked by werewolves and then becomes one of them is a horror classic. It utilizes familiar horror tropes to give us a movie that is stunning, thoughtful, and… gulp… arty? Rick Baker’s Oscar was rightly deserved.
17Sleepy Hollow – Best Art Direction
Tim Burton’s take on the classic tale of the headless horseman is unique and different. Ichabod Crane (played by Johnny Depp) comes to Sleepy Hollow to investigate some grisly murders. This leads him to the trail of the headless horseman. 1999’sSleepy Hollowis a very interesting film. At times unique, bizarre, and scary all at once, it really is tied together by Depp’s performance as Crane. Its look is so rich, so vivid, and fervent that it isn’t any surprise that the Academy granted it an Oscar for Best Art Direction. It had all the other films that year beat by miles.
16Black Swan – Best Actress (for Natalie Portman)
Okay, 2010’sBlack Swanis more of an art film than it is a horror film. We mean, it’s about ballet for crying out loud! However, Darren Aronofsky’s story of a dancer losing her mind as she plays the lead inSwan Lakeis unlike any horror movie you have ever seen. There are moments we think we know what’s happening. Mixed with moments where we have absolutely no clue. SomehowNatalie Portman holds this together, with a grand assist from Mila Kunis, and it all comes out as a film the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences couldn’t resist.
15Death Becomes Her – Best Visual Effects
One would be had pressed to watch amovie from Robert Zemeckisthat didn’t at least deserve to be nominated for something. However, 1992’sDeath Becomes Heris a horror comedy with effects that go beyond anything we had ever seen on the screen. This film sees Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn going at it. Streep tries to get a leg up using a serum that offers immortality. Bolstered by solid visuals, sadly,Death Becomes Heris the kind of movie that the Academy probably won’t ever get enough to give its highest honors.
14Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Best Actor (for Frederic March)
This 1931 gemDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydesees Frederic March playing the title role of both characters. So it should come as a surprise to nobody that he took home the Best Actor Oscar. The Academy must’ve really loved the way March embodied both characters so totally. Thislong-told story of Dr. Jekyllallowing his dark side, Mr. Hyde, to run amok is the stuff of legend. That it still holds up is a testament to not only solid storytelling but wonderful cinematic execution.
13Beetlejuice – Best Makeup
The Best Makeup award certainly belonged toBeetlejuicein 1988. At the same time, there is something so special aboutMichael Keaton’s performance in the starring role, it’s hard not to figure out how he didn’t win Best Actor! The fact that he wasn’t nominated probably had something to do with it.Beetlejuiceis a whimsical story about a guy who helps ghosts kick new owners out of their homes. With an idea so unique, how did the Academy not nominate this film for a Best Picture Oscar?
12What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? – Best Costume Design
Starring such luminaries as Bette Davis and Joan CrawfordWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane?is a giant among the horror movie set. This film turns its lens on a famous actress who brings true fear to her sister with special needs. Even more amazing is that this film came out in 1962. The costumes throughoutWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane?are really characters in their own right, and that helps underscore this moody horror/thriller.
11Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Best Costume Design / Best Sound Editing / Best Makeup
Master director Francis Ford Coppolatruly made a horror film that could please the Academy. I am not suggesting thatBram Stoker’s Draculaset out to do that, however, it does that nonetheless. With a cast that includes Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins, this story of Count Dracula descending on England to wreak unmitigated bloodshed is (at two hours and 8 minutes) a real slow burn. So well put together is this film, that it should come as no surprise that took home 3 Oscars.
10Misery – Best Actress (for Kathy Bates)
Anybody who has ever feared being bound to a bed and mutilated has to be scared to death of Kathy Bates. In the 1990Misery,she really elevated the fangirl persona to another level. Taking in the writer (James Caan) of her favorite books, Bates truly goes overboard when he kills off her favorite character. There aren’t many locks with the Academy Awards, but something tells us all the other actresses that year knew she had it in the bag.
