If The Oscars Want To Increase Viewership, They Need To Start Nominating Horror Movies

Anyone who loves the movies knows that it is no secret that awards shows almost always leave out the horror genre. Just a week ago, the genre has a whole was snubbed yet again by Hollywood's biggest awards show, despite 2022 being an outstanding year for horror. In the entire history of the Oscars, the Academy has only nominated six horror movies for Best Picture: The Exorcist, Black Swan, The Sixth Sense, Jaws, Get Out, and The Silence of the Lambs. Out of those nominations, only three actors have ever won an Oscar for their horror performances: Natalie Portman for Black Swan, Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby, and Kathy Bates in Misery.

But why is that?

To put it simply, a lot of moviegoers see the horror genre as nothing more than fun, popcorn movies. Even serious movie critics see these movies as ones who couldn't possibly have deep meaning, great cinematography, sound mixing that makes your senses tingle, or performances that are on par with anything a dramatic independent film offers. Now despite this, horror movies often outperform Oscar-nominated films at the box office. In 2022, horror release M3GAN grossed more at the box office than Oscar nominees The Banshees of Inisherin, Tár, Babylon, The Fabelmans, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking, and The Whale. In fact, M3GAN brought in more than double what some of those films no one had heard of made with its impressive $175 million worldwide.

While superhero films have began creeping into the awards season, they are still looked at as "not real movies" according to a lot of Oscar voters. Horror is no different in the sense that it doesn't seem to matter how good the performances are, how impressive the effects are, how interesting the stories are, or how impactful they are with audiences. The Oscars continues to shut out the genre. After Pearl was snubbed for the 2023 list, actress Mia Goth said:

"I think that it's very political. It's not entirely based on the quality of a project per se. There's a lot going on there and a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to nominations. Maybe I shouldn't say that, but I think that's true. I think a lot of people know that.

A change is necessary - a shift should take place if they wanted to engage with the wider public. I think it would be of benefit."

Goth's statement comes not just after Pearl's snub, but the general snub that recent horror films (including A24 productions) like Hereditary, It, Us, Nope, Suspiria, The Witch, Midsommar, The Menu, and A Quiet Place. It also speaks to the elephant in the room - people aren't watching their precious awards shows like they used to.

Sure, the 2023 Oscars saw a 13% increase in viewership, which marked a 3-year high. But that came the year after a famous actor assaulted another actor during the live telecast. A moment that most people saw on Twitter, TikTok, or news stations because they weren't watching the Oscars live. Since the year 2000, the lowest viewership the show has ever had was in 2021 with just 10.4 million viewers. 2014 got the second highest ratings, and was a show that saw Ellen DeGeneres host a list of nominations that included movies people actually saw.

In addition to omitting the movies that people are actually watching from nominations, popular movies that manage to get nominated fail to bring home awards because the average Oscar voter isn't a fan of them. Why? As of 2014, the average age of an Oscar voter was 63 years old, 76% of the voters were men, and 93% of them were white. 2023 showed the most diversity with several categories having nominees of color, but there is still a problem with the Oscars in terms of diversity, both with gender and race. Maybe someone should tell them that the genre where women speak the most is the horror genre.

At the end of the day, the reset that Mia Goth mentioned is definitely needed. It's not like horror fans are upset that Escape Room or The Black Phone weren't nominated for Best Picture, but the genre as a whole deserves to receive credit where its due. The people makig these movies deserve it, and hardcore fans deserve it. Not only that, but the awards shows themselves deserve it. Along with them not nominating movies people are watching regardless of the genre, they are consistently catering to an audience that is dying. They have started branching out by including movies like Top Gun: Maverick and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in major categories, but they would appeal to an even bigger audience if they included horror movies. The way people were moved enough to nominate Michelle Williams for The Fabelmans could have happened for Toni Collette in Hereditary. It also could have happened for any of these actors:

• Florence Pugh - Midsommar
• Lupita Nyong’o - Us
• Isabelle Fuhrmann - Orphan
• Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, or Lili Taylor - The Conjuring
• James McAvoy - Split

Maybe someday it will actually happen for them, and for all of us who love the horror genre.