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Horror movies are often overlooked at Hollywood prestige events like the Oscars, butThe Substancecame real close to securing major honors – only to fall short in the end. The Demi Moore–Margaret Qualley starrer was nominated for five Academy Awards but won only one, for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, which doesn’t bode well for the future ofhorror.
Directed by Coralie Fargeat,The Substancewasone of 2024’s best films. It became the biggest hit for its distributor, MUBI, while also earning universal critical acclaim. The body horror movie quickly became a fan favorite for its grotesque, yet satirical take on themes like female aging, addiction, and the male gaze. However, it wasn’t enough to make a similar impact at the recently concluded 97th Academy Awards.
The Oscars’ Horror Bias Strikes Again
Only One Horror Film Has Ever Won Best Picture
Sean Baker’sAnoradominated the 2025 Oscars, winning five awards, including the coveted Best Picture. Baker made history by taking home four awards himself, tying with Walt Disney’s 70-year-old record.Anoraedged out stiff competition from films likeThe Brutalist,Dune: Part Two, and, of course,The Substance. The night ended in disappointment for the cast and crew ofthe body horror film, as they secured just one win from five nominations.
In the Academy’s nearly century-long history, onlyseven horror films have been nominated for Best Picture. While some nominees – or even winners – struggle to stand the test of time, the horror and thriller selections have all become certified must-watch classics.The Silence of the Lambsremains the only film in the genre to win not just the Best Picture Oscar, but also the “Big Five” Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
6 nominations, won 0
The SubstanceLoses Every Major Oscar ToAnora
How Many Oscars WasThe SubstanceUp For?
An Oscar nomination is an honor in itself, but what makesThe Substance’s losses sting even more is that the film was a frontrunner in the categories where it fell short. Interestingly,Anorawon in every categoryThe Substancewas nominated for. The only exception was Best Makeup and Hairstyling, whichThe Substancewon, andAnorawasn’t even nominated for. Their rivalry had been brewing since the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where Sean Baker’s drama beat the absurd horror-thriller for the Palme d’Or.
Did Demi Moore Win Best Actress ForThe Substance?
WhileThe Substancedid win Best Screenplay at Cannes overAnora, this success didn’t repeat at the Oscars. Coralie Fargeat made history as the first woman to be nominated by the Academy for writing and directing a horror film, and a Best Director win would have been even more historic.Demi Moorewas also a serious contender for Best Actress, but the award ultimately went to Mikey Madison. The moment has already become a meme, drawing comparisons to Moore’s faded movie star character from the film losing out to her younger self.
Is The Academy Still Gatekeeping Horror?
Clearly,The Substancewas another great opportunity for horror to reclaim some well-deserved institutional respect from the Academy. However, despite gaining public momentum, it fell tragically short. It now joins recent genre counterparts likeGet OutandBlack Swan, which also came close but not close enough. Fans have often criticized the Oscars and its voting members for “gatekeeping” the awards from pure genre films like sci-fi and horror. These films are just as difficult to execute as the dramas that typically take home the top prizes.
The horror genrehas repeatedly been denied a seat at the top table of critically acclaimed award winners. This has remained the unfortunate reality, despite several snubbed movies aging exceptionally well. Take the most recent horror nominee,Get Out, which won Best Original Screenplay in 2018. With all due respect to that year’s Best Picture winner,The Shape of Water, Jordan Peele’s film arguably deserved the big prize more.Get Out’s cultural impact was stronger, and it superbly blended a slow-building sense of danger with racial tensions.
More Oscars Snubs BeyondThe Substance
The Substancewasn’t the only victim of the Academy’s apparent bias against horror this year.Robert Eggers’Nosferatualso had multiple nominations, including Best Cinematography and Best Production Design, but went home empty-handed. Coralie Fargeat had already addressed the Oscars’ long-standing horror problem, and advocated for a level playing field for films from the genre.Speaking toIndieWirein January,The Substancedirector said:
I don’t see horror films as any different from other movies. They are so political. They are such a great way to tell so many things in a very rude way, and in a very indelicate way. To me, they should compete at the same level as everything else. … The best thing I wish for the Academy is that there is not this barrier, that every movie is considered as cinema, which I think it is.
Classic Horror Films Were Ignored Too
BeyondThe Substance, the Academy has a long history of shocking horror snubs. In recent years, films likeHereditary,The Lighthouse, andMidsommarwere all overlooked, despite widespread acclaim. Even masterpieces like Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining,John Carpenter’sThe Thing, and Alfred Hitchcock’sPsychowere completely ignored by the Academy at the time of their release. Awards like the Oscars may not be the ultimate measure of a film’s worth, but it’s about time they showed some respect for the horror genre.
