Director Ti West says it’s going to take a perfect storm for the horror genre to be more represented at the Oscars.
The horror genre is in yet another renaissance – so much so that the term “elevated horror” had to be introduced as a way for non-genre fans to cope with the fact that, yes, maybe they do like horror films. But we still probably shouldn’t expect them to be featured at the Academy Awards alongside the usual fare, no matter how seriously they are being taken in 2024. But X series director Ti West has hope that one day this could change, seeing the Oscars becoming more receptive to the horror genre with just the right timing.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Ti West said that it’s possible that horror could be better represented at the Oscars, provided there is full support. “It depends on the movie, it depends on the campaign. It’s complicated. It’s something that I have never experienced, but it’s not as simple as someone being good in a movie and then they get a nomination. It’s a more dense industry-oriented thing than that. So it’s just a matter of the right performance at the right time and with the right campaign. It’s a whole bunch of work, frankly, to be on the trail for something like that.”
West also noted that, yes, it is extremely rare for horror to be on the Oscars stage, name-checking The Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense and Jordan Peele, whose Get Out is the most recent horror film nominated for Best Picture. (A lot of people wouldn’t even categorize the first two as horror, instead opting to label them as thrillers for whatever reason.) West himself said that, on the acting front, Mia Goth should have been up for Best Actress for Pearl. As for West’s own potential for breaking that Best Picture barrier, it’s probably safe to say that the divisive MaXXXine (heck, even our own critics can’t agree on this one!) won’t be another one to do it…
We could all name several horror films throughout history that deserved more Oscars recognition, but by and large, there’s no denying that the AMPAS has been ignorant to their impact. Outside of the occasional nomination here and there, there was a short tribute to the genre at the Academy Awards way back in 2010. Gee, thanks for the support!
What do you think it will take for horror to get more attention at the Oscars? When do you think we’ll get another from the genre up for Best Picture?