Why The Oscars Snubbed Horror In 2020 | Screen Rant – Screen Rant

Though horror has done extremely well at theOscars in the past, the 2020 season had no love for horror movies, despite a few being very deserving of some critical acclaim from the Academy.

2018 was the last big season for horror movies at the Oscars, with the 90th Academy Awards giving out the most awards of the night to Guillermo Del Toro's creature feature,The Shape of Water. Not only didThe Shape of Watertake home what is considered to be the biggest award of the night, Best Picture, but Jordan Peele's sociopolitical horror movie,Get Out, seemed to be neck-and-neck.Get Outearned Jordan Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Genre films, in general, earned recognition in 2018, withBlade Runner 2049winning Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.

Related: Golden Globes 2020: Horror Movies That Were Snubbed

Horror has seen incredible heights in the past, and while sometimes they have to reclassify themselves as "thrillers" to earn their spot, the genre has proven itself to be a worthy contender in the past. For example,The Silence of the Lambsis one of only three films in the history of the Academy Awards to win what is known as "the big five": Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay (either Original or Adapted).

Following suit from the Golden Globes nominations, which also failed to recognize some of the excellent performances in 2019 horror movies, as well as the phenomenal production elements, the Oscars snubbed horror yet again. This has prompted fans of the genre - and genre fans in general - to consider whether or not there should be some sort of difference in category to ensure these oversights don't continue happening. There have been outliers in horror and other genres, like how the MCU saw significant amounts of critical acclaim forBlack Panther, and the 2020 season has been very good toJoker, but other than these occasional outliers, there's no room for honoring films that extend beyond the more traditional films that are highlighted year after year. Other award ceremonies, such as the Golden Globes, separate by category and can influence those nominated for Oscars each year. The Academy Awards don't have genre divisions, but if there was more room for horror elsewhere, this could be different.

The two biggest disappointments in the horror genre from 2019 wereUsandMidsommar. Jordan Peele might not have managed to exceed on the greatness ofGet Out, butUswas another thought-provoking example that cut outside the box many consider horror to reside within while simultaneously keeping its finger directly on the pulse of what terrifies audiences. Jordan Peele's direction for the film was solid, but the biggest let-down was that Lupita Nyong'o, who was tasked not only with one character in the film, but two distinct characters - Adelaide and Red - wasn't given a Best Actress nomination for her work inUs, and has become an instant horror icon for her Tethered character.

Similarly, Ari Aster'sMidsommar, which many consider to be a stronger effort from the director than his directorial debut,Hereditary, was overlooked on numerous merits that were worthy of award nominations, if not wins.Pawel Pogorzelski, who did the cinematography for bothMidsommarandHereditary, managed to create a setting that was almost a character in and of itself. SinceMidsommaris such a nuanced film where setting and tone is integral to its success - and was successful - this surely was deserving of a Best Cinematography nod. Florence Pugh did get a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role inLittle Women, but deserved a Best Actress nod forMidsommar. Pugh's performance as Dani beautifully depicted the ups and downs of human grief, and was just as captivating to watch as it was horrifying. While 2020 was a let-down at the Oscars, the horror genre only continues to grow and establish itself beyond its reputation with critics; there's still hope for the future.

Next: Oscars 2020: Predicting All Winners In Every Category

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Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. He has been published on the independent horror blog Morbidly Beautiful, and has covered major genre film festivals such as Cinepocalypse in Chicago. He has also served as a judge for the Ax Wound Film Festival.In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh. Follow him on Twitter @JackMacabre or his dog on Instagram @quillthethrill.

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Why The Oscars Snubbed Horror In 2020 | Screen Rant - Screen Rant