Horror is one of those genres that don't often get a lot of critical adoration. Alongside the likes of comedy and science fiction, horror is typically considered "genre" work, and while incredibly popular (and profitable), they are not often critical darlings. And even if they are critical darlings, they are typically ignored at major award shows.
However, that's not always the case. Many horror movies have been recognized by the Academy in various capacities, whether it be for technical filmmaking, acting, writing, and/or directing. It's rare to see, which makes it all the more exceptional and exciting when it does happen.
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
When it comes to horror movies winning Academy Awards, nothing will ever beat The Silence of the Lambs. While some have been nominated for more awards, none have done what Silence did. At the 1992 Academy Awards, the movie took home the coveted Big Five: Best Screenplay (Adapted, in this case), Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.
It was the first movie to do it since One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1976, its still the most recent movie to do it, and it remains the only horror movie in Oscars history to win Best Picture.
The Exorcist (1973)
Widely considered the greatest horror movie ever made (or at least the most influential), The Exorcist took the world by storm throughout the winter of 1974. It even made movie history by becoming the first horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture, although it would eventually lose to The Sting.
At the 46th Academy Awards, The Exorcist was recognized with ten nominations, ranging from technical awards like Production Design and Sound Mixing to more "serious" awards like Adapted Screenplay, Director, Actress, and Picture. It won two: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing.
Jaws (1975)
The '70s truly were a great time for horror. Just eighteen months after the release of The Exorcist, Steven Spielberg unleashed Jaws onto the world. Like The Exorcist, Jaws made a big splash at the Academy Awards (no pun intended). It earned four nominations at the 48th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound.
While Spielberg was openly disappointed with his lack of recognition, his movie would take home the latter three awards. It eventually lost best picture to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
When it comes to the biggest surprise hits in movie history, few can compete with M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense. Made on a modest budget of $40 million, the movie ended up making $672 million at the worldwide box office and generated a very respectable six Academy Award nominations.
These were Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actress for Toni Collette, Best Supporting Actor for Haley Joel Osment, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. Unfortunately, it failed to win a single award, having been overshadowed by American Beauty.
Get Out (2017)
Another movie to see a surprising amount of success was Jordan Peele's Get Out. Grossing $255 million at the worldwide box office, Get Out also scored incredible reviews from critics and became the highest-rated movie of 2017 on Rotten Tomatoes.
It ended up scoring four nominations at the 90th Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor for Daniel Kaluuya, Best Director, and Best Picture. Peele would end up taking home the award for Best Original Screenplay, the movie's only win.
Misery (1990)
It's exceedingly rare for a Stephen King novel to work on the big screen, but Misery proves the exception. Adapted from King's 1987 novel, Misery stars the equally incredible Kathy Bates and James Caan in the lead roles of Annie and Paul.
Bates in particular won widespread acclaim for her performance, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. She was also a shoe-in for the Academy Awards, and she ended up proving the movie's only nomination. She indeed took home the award for Best Actress, beating Anjelica Huston, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, and Joanne Woodward.
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Now preserved in the National Film Registry, Rosemary's Baby proved enormously successful in 1968. Directed by the endlessly controversial Roman Polanski, Rosemary's Baby was adapted from Ira Levin's novel of the same name, released just fifteen months earlier.
The movie earned two Academy Award nominations at the 41st ceremony for Best Adapted Screenplay (then called Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) and Best Supporting Actress for Ruth Gordon, playing Minnie Castevet. Gordon would end up winning.
The Fly (1986)
Few movies prove as disgusting as David Cronenberg's The Fly. Cronenberg is widely known as a master of "body horror", and The Fly is widely regarded as his masterpiece. This type of wacky genre fare is most certainly not the type to be recognized by the Academy, but in this case, the visual effects work was just too unbelievable, astounding, and disgusting to pass up.
Both Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis would win the Academy Award for Best Makeup, the movie's only nomination. It beat both The Clan of the Cave Bear and Legend.
Alien (1979)
Alien might be the best and most influential alien film ever released, despite its surprising lack of the titular character. Filled with memorable scenes and characters, Alien proved a resounding critical and commercial success, scoring two nominations at the 52nd Academy Awards.
The movie was recognized with two technical nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction, with H.R. Giger and company winning the former. It's no surprise— even to this day, the visual effects of Alien remain impeccable.
Black Swan (2010)
When Black Swan was released in 2010, it had been just over ten years since The Sixth Sense was released and nominated for Best Picture. Black Swan proved the first horror movie since The Sixth Sense to be nominated for the award, making it just one of six in the history of the Academy Awards.
It was a big hit at the 83rd Academy Awards, scoring five nominations. Those were Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Actress for Natalie Portman (which proved the movie's only win).