Horror movies have notoriously been snubbed by the Academy Awards, even though so many scary movies clearly deserved to win Oscars. This has become especially apparent with the power of hindsight, as years later, many of the actual Oscar winners have mostly been forgotten by viewers while these horror releases have endured through the ages. The sheer terror and emotion on display in horror movies were also ripe territory for fantastic performances that never got the accolades they deserved.
Many of the best horror movies of all time came out of awards season Oscar-less, and even though most viewers would agree they deserved the award, it seemed the Academy thought differently. Even the technical achievements of horror movies rarely got their due, as categories related to makeup, visual effects, and cinematography have been continually passed over in favor of more Oscar-friendly films. While it’s impossible to go back and change the past, all of these horror films deserved Academy Awards.
15 The Birds (1963)
Deserved Best Special Effects
The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, was widely lauded for revolutionizing horror movies in 1960 with Psycho, but his follow-up film The Birds was just as terrifying. This shocking story saw a wealthy socialite’s small town gradually overtaken by birds as they began to infest and overrun every aspect of her life before swarms of birds attacked to the point that military intervention was required. With impressive special effects and over $200,000 ($2 million in today’s money) spent on mechanical birds (via Collider), this trailblazing and iconic horror still lost out on the Oscar to Cleopatra.
The Academy Award for Special Effects changed its name to Best Special Visual Effects in 1964 and its current name, Best Visual Effects, in 1977.
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The Birds PG-13HorrorRomanceMysteryDrama
The Birds is a 1963 horror film from director Alfred Hitchcock, telling the tale of a small town in Northern California that is plagued by hundreds of violent birds. Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, and Jessica Tandy star in the film, which has since become one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most iconic movies.
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*Availability in US Director Alfred Hitchcock Release Date March 29, 1963 Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Evan Hunter Cast Tippi Hedren , Suzanne Pleshette , Jessica Tandy , Veronica Cartwright , Rod Taylor Runtime 119 minutes Budget $2.5 million Expand
14 The Babadook (2014)
Deserved Best Original Screenplay
Horror screenplays rarely get their due for their rich psychological resonance and their deep probing into the heart of human anxieties. This was unfortunate because The Babadook highlighted innate issues of depression and grief as the terrifying creature at the heart of this story represented the need to address these problems through acceptance rather than burying negative emotions. While this strong script from the writer and director Jennifer Kent deserved accolades, it was snubbed entirely at the Academy Awards. Instead, the prize went to Birdman, a movie whose themes around acting and the film industry likely connected with Academy voters more.
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6.8/10 The Babadook RHorrorDrama
The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent, explores the struggles of a single mother grieving her husband’s death while confronting her son’s fear of a lurking monster. As they contend with this unseen entity, the sinister presence grows increasingly pervasive in their lives.
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*Availability in US Director Jennifer Kent Release Date November 28, 2014 Writers Jennifer Kent Cast Essie Davis , Noah Wiseman , Hayley McElhinney , Daniel Henshall , Barbara West , Ben Winspear , Cathy Adamek , Craig Behenna , Hachi , Tim Purcell , Chloe Hurn , Jacquy Phillips , Bridget Walters , Adam Morgan , Pippa Wanganeen , Peta Shannon , Michelle Nightingale , Tony Mack , Carmel Johnson , Michael Gilmour , Craig McArdle , Terence Crawford , Tiffany Lyndall-Knight , Lucy Hong , Sophie Riggs , John Maurice , Stephen Sheehan , Alicia Zorkovic , Lotte Crawford , Chris Roberts , Annie Batten Runtime 94 Minutes Budget $2 million Expand
13 A Quiet Place (2018)
Deserved Best Sound Editing
Paramount Pictures
Despite being a horror entirely based around sound, or the lack thereof, A Quiet Place did not win its nomination for Best Sound Editing at the Academy Awards. Instead, it went to the by-the-numbers music biopicBohemian Rhapsody. However, the way sound was utilized to build suspense and tension in A Quiet Place was truly extraordinary. By taking one of the most innate human senses and exploring the deathly consequences of a baby’s cry or an unintentional shriek, A Quiet Place became truly frightening, as when faced with death, screaming and sound become inevitable.
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10/10 A Quiet Place PG-13HorrorDocumentaryFamilySci-FiThriller
A Quiet Place takes place in a world ravaged by predatory alien beings with ultra-sensitive hearing. With humanity on the brink of extinction, the Abbott family has managed to carve out a delicate survival by living in total silence, but with a baby on the way, their tentative peace seems more fragile than ever. A Quiet Place stars John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe and is directed by Krasinski.
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*Availability in US Director John Krasinski Release Date April 3, 2018 Studio(s) Platinum Dunes , Sunday Night Productions Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers Bryan Woods , Scott Beck , John Krasinski Cast Emily Blunt , John Krasinski , Millie Simmonds , Noah Jupe , Cade Woodward , Leon Russom Runtime 90 Minutes Budget $17 million Expand
12 The Witch (2015)
Deserved Best Cinematography
The Academy tends to be extra harsh on horror movies, and only truly astounding releases manage nominations, while far less superior dramas often get a pass. This felt truly for Robert Eggers’ extraordinarily accomplished debut, The Witch, a mature horror that powerfully depicted a Puritan New England family encountering evil forces in a forest during the 1630s. What was most impressive about The Witch was its stunning cinematography from Jarin Blaschke, who perfectly captured the dark tension of its period. While the 2015 winner, The Revenant, also looked astounding, the fact The Witch was not even nominated was a travesty.
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9/10 The Witch RHorror
Distributed by A24, The Witch marks the feature directorial debut of Robert Eggers and the first film appearance of Anya Taylor-Joy. Written by Eggers, The Witch follows a puritanical family in New England in the 1630s who are forced to leave their community after a religious dispute. Attempting to set up a farm in the New England countryside, the family soon find themselves beset by malevolent and supernatural forces beyond their comprehension.
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*Availability in US Director Robert Eggers Release Date February 19, 2016 Studio(s) A24 Distributor(s) A24 , Universal Pictures Writers Robert Eggers Cast Kate Dickie , Wahab Chaudhry , Ellie Grainger , Ralph Ineson , Sarah Stephens , Lucas Dawson , Anya Taylor-Joy , Bathsheba Garnett , Harvey Scrimshaw , Julian Richings Runtime 92minutes Budget $4 million Expand
11 A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Deserved Best Visual Effects
Few horror movies have endured quite like A Nightmare on Elm Street, a true classic of horror that went on to become one of the biggest slasher franchises of all time. From the creepy characterization of Freddy Krueger to the dark intensity of its dream sequences, A Nightmare on Elm Street broke new ground in horror movies and still lingers in the subconscious of viewers four decades after it was first released. While the award for Best Visual Effects went to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Freddy’s nightmarish intensity surely deserved this accolade.
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10/10 A Nightmare On Elm Street RHorror
Created by legendary horror director Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street is the first film in the horror-slasher franchise to see Freddy Kruger’s arrival. When a group of teenagers begins having shared nightmares about a mysterious man, they begin dying under supernatural circumstances. The teens seek to identify the murderous and seemingly vengeful man to find a way to stop him before he claims their lives – not knowing that their parents may hold the answers they seek.
Director Wes Craven Release Date November 16, 1984 Studio(s) New Line Cinema Writers Wes Craven Cast Heather Langenkamp , Robert Englund , Amanda Wyss , John Saxon , Johnny Depp , Ronee Blakley , Jsu Garcia , Lin Shaye Runtime 91 minutes Franchise(s) A Nightmare on Elm Street Sequel(s) A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge , A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors , A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master , A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child , Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare , Wes Craven’s New Nightmare , Freddy vs. Jason Budget $1.8 million Main Genre Horror Expand
10 Mandy (2018)
Deserved Best Cinematography
Throughout the 2010s, it felt like Nicolas Cage’s career was far from his acclaimed Oscar win for Leaving Las Vegas in 1995. However, Cage proved his talents once again with an extraordinary performance in the surreal and horrific revenge story Mandy, a film that looked so spectacular it should have taken home an Oscar for Best Cinematography. Unlike the dark, underlit aesthetics of so many horror films, Mandy was bright with color as the true horror of Cage’s character’s grief and pain was brought to the forefront in a fury of emotion and imagery.
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8.7/10 Mandy rHorrorThrillerAction
2018’s Mandy is a Horror and Action film starring Nicholas Cage. Written and directed by Panos Cosmatos, Cage plays a recovering alcoholic that lives a solitary life with his girlfriend who ends up kidnapped by a mysterious cult. The remainder of the film sees Cage embarking on a bloody quest for revenge.
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*Availability in US Director Panos Cosmatos Release Date September 14, 2018 Writers Aaron Stewart-Ahn , Panos Cosmatos Cast Andrea Riseborough , Bill Duke , Linus Roache , Nicolas Cage , Richard Brake Runtime 121 Minutes Budget $6million Main Genre Horror Expand
9 American Psycho (2000)
Deserved Best Adapted Screenplay
The screenplay for American Psycho was co-written by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner and perfectly captured the satirical essence of Bret Easton Ellis’s extraordinary novel. As the story of the yuppie serial killer Parick Bateman, Christian Bale perfectly embodied the excesses of 1980s culture and consumerism as he delivered the script’s razor-sharp dialogue with ease while murdering his way through the elite of New York City’s upper echelon. Shockingly, American Psycho was not nominated for any Academy Awards despite enduring for decades as a cult classic.
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8.5/10 American Psycho RCrimeDocumentaryDramaThriller
Based on the book of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) an investment banker in New York in 1987 who leads a double life as a serial killer. As investigators circle Bateman after the disappearance of a colleague, he finds himself trapped in a spiral of murder and excess, unable to stop himself from giving in to his increasingly dark urges. Also stars Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon.
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*Availability in US Director Mary Harron Release Date April 14, 2000 Studio(s) Lionsgate Distributor(s) Lionsgate Writers Bret Easton Ellis , Mary Harron , Guinevere Turner Cast Jared Leto , Reese Witherspoon , Chloe Sevigny , Willem Dafoe , Justin Theroux , Christian Bale Runtime 101 minutes Budget $7 million Expand
8 Coraline (2009)
Deserved Best Animated Feature
While kid’s animation and horror movies don’t generally go hand-in-hand, occasionally, a child-friendly horror film breaks through and introduces a whole new generation of viewers to spooky movies. This was certainly the case for the excellent stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, a movie that utilized the idea of doppelgängers to showcase the importance of courage and appreciation. While Pixar’s Up would claim the Animation Oscar in 2009, Coraline was a truly spectacular film whose creepy alternative universe deserved far more accolades than it received.
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8/10 Coraline PGFamilyAnimationThrillerFantasyDrama
Based on Neil Gaiman’s novella, Coraline follows Coraline Jones, a lonely young girl who, after moving to a new house with her inattentive parents, discovers a portal to another, more sinister alternate reality behind one of the house’s many doors. Written and directed by Henry Selick, the film uses stop-motion animation and stars Dakota Fanning as Coraline.
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*Availability in US Director Henry Selick Release Date February 5, 2009 Studio(s) Focus Features Distributor(s) Focus Features Writers Henry Selick , Neil Gaiman Cast Dakota Fanning , Teri Hatcher , Jennifer Saunders , Dawn French , Keith David , John Hodgman Runtime 100 minutes Budget $60 million Expand
7 Under the Skin (2013)
Deserved Best Original Score
Although Jonathan Glazer’s spectacularly strange sci-fi horror Under the Skin was entirely snubbed by the Academy, it has since built up a reputation as among the most enduring cult classics of the 21st century. With Scarlett Johansson as an otherworldly entity luring rural Scottish men to their own demise, the foreboding nature of Under the Skin worked so well due to the incredible score by Mica Levi. With music tightly woven into its minimalist atmosphere, it was impressive how Under the Skin’s score became part of its very nature and added to the ominous presence of the film.
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7.3/10 Under the Skin R Sci-FiThrillerDramaHorror
Under the Skin is a sci-fi thriller directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Scarlett Johansson. Johansson plays “The Female,” an alien from another world that hunts men in Scotland. Despite receiving high praise upon release, Under the Skin was a box office bomb, only making a little over half of its budget.
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*Availability in US Director Jonathan Glazer Release Date April 4, 2014 Studio(s) A24 Distributor(s) A24 Writers Jonathan Glazer , Walter Campbell Cast Dougie McConnell , Lynsey Taylor Mackay , Jeremy McWilliams , Scarlett Johansson , Kevin McAlinden Runtime 108 minutes Budget $13.3 million Main Genre Sci-Fi Expand
6 The Thing (1980)
Deserved Best Visual Effects
John Carpenter’s incredible presentation of a shapeshifting alien entity in The Thing was a truly astounding piece of horror filmmaking that was wholly ignored by the Academy. The visual effects in The Thing were a central reason the movie has endured so well over the decades, as this, paired with the paranoid isolation of its Alaskan setting, made for truly nail-biting viewing. While the award understandably went to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, it’s a crying shame that The Thing was at the very least not considered in the nominees alongside Blade Runner and Poltergeist.
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9.7/10 The Thing (1982) RHorror Sci-FiMystery
A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter’s 1982 film is a remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.
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*Availability in US Director John Carpenter Release Date June 25, 1982 Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Bill Lancaster Cast T.K. Carter , David Clennon , Keith David , Kurt Russell , wilford brimley Runtime 109 minutes Franchise(s) The Thing prequel(s) The Thing Budget $15 million Expand
5 The Shining (1980)
Shelley Duvall deserved Best Actress
One of the greatest travesties in Hollywood history was the reception to Shelley Duvall’s performance in The Shining. Despite enduring unimaginably difficult onset circumstances that seriously strained her mental health and being controversially nominated for Worst Actress at the Golden Raspberry Awards, Duvall still managed to give a trailblazing performance as Wendy Torrence in The Shining. Duvall perfectly captured the terror and fear of life in the Overlook Hotel and powerfully held her own against the intensity of Jack Nicholson’s murderous performance. While Duvall’s performance may not have been appreciated then, looking back, it’s clear she deserved an Oscar.
In 2022, The Golden Raspberry Committee rescinded Shelley Duvall’s worst actress nomination for The Shining, and the Razzie’s founder, Maureen Murphy, stated (via
Variety
): “
Knowing the backstory and the way that Stanley Kubrick kind of pulverized her, I would take that back
.”
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15 9.4/10 The Shining RHorrorDrama
Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall tells the story of the Torrance family, who move to the isolated Overlook Hotel so that father Jack Torrance can act as its winter caretaker. Stuck at the hotel due to the winter storms, the malevolent supernatural forces inhabiting the building slowly begin to drive Jack insane, causing his wife and psychically gifted son to be caught up in a fight for their lives when Jack is pushed over the edge.
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*Availability in US Director Stanley Kubrick Release Date June 13, 1980 Writers Diane Johnson , Stanley Kubrick Cast Danny Lloyd , Shelley Duvall , Jack Nicholson , Scatman Crothers Runtime 146 minutes Budget $19 Million Expand
4 Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock deserved Best Director
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was among the most influential horror movies ever made, as its powerful suspense laid the groundwork for the slasher genre and gave horror movies a real sense of artistry. Hitchcock should have been honored with a Best Director Oscar for this achievement. However, it must be admitted that 1960 was a tough year in terms of competition, and director Billy Wilder’s win for The Apartment remains a worthy accolade. While both movies have truly stood the test of time, when all is said and done, it’s clear that Psycho has had more of a hold on popular culture in the decades since.
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9.5/10 Psycho RHorrorMysteryThriller
In this now-iconic Alfred Hitchcock thriller, a secretary embezzles forty thousand dollars from her employer’s client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel. The place is run by a young man under the domination of his mother — and he soon turns out to be far more threatening than he appeared at first.
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*Availability in US Director Alfred Hitchcock Release Date September 8, 1960 Writers Joseph Stefano , Robert Bloch Cast Janet Leigh , Martin Balsam , Anthony Perkins , John Gavin , Vera Miles Runtime 109 minutes Budget $806 thousand Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Franchise(s) Psychonauts Sequel(s) Psycho 2 Main Genre Horror Expand
3 The Sixth Sense (1999)
Deserved Best Original Screenplay
The Sixth Sense laid the groundwork for writer and director M. Night Shyamalan’s entire career, as its twist ending was so impactful that he would forever be associated with confounding audience expectations. While The Sixth Sense has been primarily remembered for this reason, the truth was it only worked so well because everything that came before it was a masterclass in slow-building tension and impressively mature storytelling. Disappointingly, The Sixth Sense lost out on the Oscar to American Beauty, a film that has aged extraordinarily badly in hindsight.
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7.3/10 The Sixth Sense PG-13ThrillerDramaHorrorMystery
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller about a young boy who can see and communicate with ghosts. Bruce Willis as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who tries to help Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment, while grappling with his own personal demons. The movie features a twist ending that has become iconic in pop culture.
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*Availability in US Director M. Night Shyamalan Release Date August 6, 1999 Writers M. Night Shyamalan Cast Bruce Willis , Toni Collette , Haley Joel Osment , Olivia Williams , Donnie Wahlberg Runtime 107 minutes Budget $40 Million Studio(s) Disney Distributor(s) Disney , Dimension Films Expand
2 Hereditary (2018)
Toni Collette deserved Best Actress
While Ari Aster’s directional debut, Hereditary, signaled the dawning of a new major voice in horror, this was practically overshadowed by the sheer power and intensity of Toni Collette’s extraordinary performance. As the grieving mother Annie Graham, Collette captured the raw emotion and psychological destruction at the heart of the Graham family’s horrific circumstances. This was truly a tour de force in acting and one of the best performances in modern movie history, and it was a travesty that Collette not only didn’t win the Oscar but was not even nominated for Hereditary.
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7.9/10 Hereditary RHorrorDocumentaryMysteryThriller
The feature film debut of writer-director Ari Aster, Hereditary tells the story of the unwittingly cursed Graham family. Annie Graham (Toni Collette) lives with her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and their children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). After the death of Annie’s mother, the family is beset by disaster and stalked by a supernatural entity that dredges up a past that Annie had spent her life trying to overlook.
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*Availability in US Director Ari Aster Release Date June 8, 2018 Writers Ari Aster Cast Toni Collette , Milly Shapiro , Zachary Arthur , Gabriel Byrne , Mallory Bechtel , Alex Wolff , Ann Dowd Runtime 2h 7m Budget 10 million Studio(s) A24 Distributor(s) A24 Expand
1 The Shining (1980)
Deserved Best Picture
Custom Image by SR Image Editor
Although Ordinary People won Best Picture in 1980, two movies deserved it more: Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. In an incredibly competitive year, Kubrick came out on top for proving the artistry of horror films and raising the bar for the entire genre. The Shining was a fundamental release in the quest for horror movies to finally be taken seriously. Without Kubrick’s laying the groundwork with The Shining, horror movies may not have finally gotten their due more than ten years later with the Best Picture win and ceremony sweep of The Silence of the Lambs.
Sources: Collider, Variety