As Ghostface said, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” Surprisingly, a good majority might say that a 2025 horror film is at the top of their list. Horror is on the rise with entries like “Sinners,” “Weapons” and “Together” dominating the public eye and the theaters. The recent horror resurgence of the last few years has even been coined a horror renaissance. Despite this, horror has been historically overlooked as a genre.
Horror has been snubbed time and time again in practically every form it’s in. Mainly, the Oscars is notorious for being extremely reluctant to give the genre any praise. Beginning in 1929, the Oscars has held 97 ceremonies since, with only seven horror movies in total getting a nomination for Best Picture. Out of those seven, only one has actually won — “The Silence of the Lambs” from 1991, which has scenes filmed at Pitt’s very own Soldiers and Sailors museum. Considering the long history of the Oscars ceremony, the incredibly low number of nominations is shocking. It’s not because there’s only been seven “good” horror movies ever, either. This snubbing is simply because the film industry as a whole doesn’t respect horror.
Directors, actors and crew are also incredibly overlooked in their talents. Alfred Hitchcock — who’s not only a famous horror director but one of the most famous directors of all time — never won an Oscar for his horror work. Unsurprisingly, one of his nonhorror films, “Rebecca” from 1940, won 11 awards including Best Picture. Why would a horror director win eleven awards for one non-horror movie and none for any of his other work? The rationale behind this is obvious.
The Oscars celebrate tradition and often overlook actually creative, original movies. The countless biopics, war films and period pieces that win over and over again prove that very fact. Horror is usually very eccentric in its storytelling approaches. A horror narrative can push its themes to extremes that other genres can’t. Therefore, horror is a typically untraditional genre — something the Oscars hate to showcase.
The sentiment of horror being too out there also transcends to other mediums. Literature, like the Oscars, often praises traditional and classic stories. Literature, though, is more rigid in its pretentious nature against horror because novels are considered “smarter” than films. Horror is given next to no grace at all in terms of widespread acclaim. Stephen King — the most famous horror author — still isn’t given the proper literary credibility he deserves. While still being highly praised, most of his books are considered run of the mill horror and not the masterpieces they truly are. Not to mention, his vast portfolio has inspired so many films and other stories which have impacted pop culture as a whole. Stephen King’s work is on par with the likes of Shakesphere’s, impact wise, but he may never get that title because at the end of the day horror is seen as lowbrow.
Horror has produced countless impactful media pieces throughout history that are never given proper praise. No matter how masterfully crafted a piece of horror media is, a lesser, more tame narrative will always beat it. Horror being seen as lesser can also be attributed to its roots in telling progressive stories. Continuously going off the mainstream track, horror is known for showcasing the stories of the oppressed and minorities within its narratives. These kinds of stories are also famously overlooked in non-horror media as well, so it makes horror the least commercially desired.
Despite a long history of cold shouldering, horror has continued to thrive and grow — the genre is at a peak right now and is only getting better. Moreover, horror is being repeatedly more appreciated as a credible genre. Horror is being academically accredited as well with Pitt recently launching the world’s first Horror Studies Center. It’s impossible to ignore horror as a genre now, no matter how hard the mass media tries to. Hopefully, with such a stacked year of horror the short list of Oscar nominations and wins for the genre will increase tenfold. Either way, horror’s future is certainly bright. The question of “What’s your favorite scary movie?” rings with a new meaning now as the world no longer answers with irony. Horror will no longer be the genre people fear to appreciate.
Heidi likes to write about film, pop culture and all things spooky. Email her at [email protected].