Like superhero movies, horror films are given a rough ride at the Academy Awards. In fact, it’s a bloody battle for them to be noticed by Oscar voters at times, despite featuring some of the most ingenious filmmaking on display and some genuinely excellent performances.
Across Oscars history, only six horror flicks have ever been nominated for Best Picture. They are: “The Exorcist” (1974), “Jaws” (1976), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1992), “The Sixth Sense” (2000), “Black Swan” (2011), and “Get Out” (2018). Of these, only “Silence” was golden. It remains to be seen if any horror film this year can make that seven but, for now, let’s take a look at five horror movies that could be in contention at the 2024 Academy Awards.
“Beau is Afraid”
Dir: Ari Aster
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane
Release Date: April 14, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
Metacritic Score: 63
“Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.”
“Beau is Afraid” is Aster’s latest entry into the “elevated horror” genre after his previous films “Midsommar” and “Hereditary” helped to create the sub-genre. Neither of those films were to the Academy’s tastes, however, despite a (mostly fan-led) campaign for Best Actress for “Hereditary” star Toni Collette (a nomination would have been so deserved). This time, however, he has Oscar winner Phoenix at the helm, who won Best Actor in 2020 for “Joker.” He could still be feeling the Oscars afterglow so a clever campaign could land him a Best Actor bid here, although he will be in competition with himself as he also stars in Ridley Scott‘s “Napoleon” this year. He is outside of our predicted five nominees for Best Actor, however: Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), Colman Domingo (“Rustin”), Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”), and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).
Plus, LuPone is a legend who has won three Tonys (Best Actress in a Musical in 1980 for “Evita” and in 2008 for “Gypsy” and Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2022 for “Company”) and two Emmys (Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording in 2009 for “Weill: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny”). Voters would love to reward this legend at the Oscars, so she could be up for Best Supporting Actress. However, she, too is outside of our predicted five nominees: Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”), Julianne Moore (“May December”), Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson (“The Color Purple”), and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).
“Knock at the Cabin”
Dir: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint
Release Date: February 3, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
Metacritic Score: 63
“While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.”
Shyamalan returned to good form with this one and, as such, the movie could bring him back to the Oscars for the first time since 2000, when he was nominated for Original Screenplay and Best Director for “The Sixth Sense.” This time, he’d be up for Best Adapted Screenplay (the film is based on the book “The Cabin at the End of the World” by Paul G. Tremblay). However, he is outside of our predicted five nominees for this category: “Barbie,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Zone of Interest,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Bautista, who has never been nominated, could also be in the mix for Best Supporting Actor. However, that seems like a longshot, particularly as he is also outside of predicted nominees: Domingo (“The Color Purple”), John Magaro (“Past Lives”), Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”), Ryan Gosling (“Barbie”), and Robert De Niro (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).
“Infinity Pool”
Dir: Brandon Cronenberg
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert
Release Date: January 22, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
Metacritic Score: 72
“James and Em Foster are enjoying an all-inclusive beach vacation in the fictional island of La Tolqa, when a fatal accident exposes the resort’s perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence and surreal horrors.”
This one has been buoyed by strong reviews and a new voice in Brandon Cronenberg (son of David Cronenberg). This is violent, graphic, and distinct. As such, it’s a brilliant vision for Cronenberg who, if the Academy were more open-minded toward horror movies, could be in the mix for Best Director. However, he is, of course, outside of our predicted nominees for that category: Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Two”), Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”), Celine Song (“Past Lives”), Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), and Martin Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). The movie should also be in the mix for Best Actor for Skarsgård, who, like Cronenberg, is after his first Oscar nomination. Alas, Skarsgård is also outside of our predicted nominees.
“Brooklyn 45”
Dir: Ted Geoghegan
Starring: Anne Ramsay, Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Metacritic Score: 71
“Five military veterans, best friends since childhood, gather together to support their troubled host, and the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all-too-literal.”
This genre movie has a stellar cast and Geoghegan has penned a great script that deserves to be at least considered for Best Original Screenplay. However, the script is outside of our predicted nominees in that category: “Air,” “Saltburn,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Holdovers,” and “Past Lives.” The movie also features smart editing (Lisa Hendricks) and nice cinematography work (Robert Patrick Stern). All involved are searching for their first-ever Oscar nominations.
“Evil Dead Rise”
Dir: Lee Cronin
Starring: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols
Release Date: April 21, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Metacritic Score: 69
“A twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.”
Sam Raimi kicked off this series of horror films all the way back in 1981 with “The Evil Dead.” Since then, there have been sequels and spin-offs of varying quality. However, this one is the best entry since that first movie. It’s unlikely it will be up for any major awards but it does feature great design and technical work. In particular, its sound, cinematography (Dave Garbett), and editing (Bryan Shaw) are all top-rate.
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