Movie fans around the world will tune in to the Oscars on Sunday night to see which films will be honored with the movie industry's most prestigious award. That's all well and good, but for as great as they were, we here at 1428 Elm like a little bit more blood and guts than what films like Conclave and The Brutalist can offer. That's why we're proud to present the Horror Oscars, where we celebrate the very best in horror from the past year.
Horror movies are very rarely recognized at the Academy Awards (though it's been gratifying to see The Substance get so much love). It seems necessary then to show some love on behalf of all our fellow horror heads out there. Today we'll be looking at the best horror movies, actors and actresses, and directors, plus one special new horror-specific category.
Best Horror Picture nominees
Just like the actual Oscars, we're nominating 10 films for Best Picture. It was a pretty great year for horror, so there was no trouble finding 10. In fact, quite a few fun movies were left on the cutting room floor here, though a few of them will pop up later. Let's look at the nominees, but be warned, there are spoilers below.
- Abigail: We've all seen movies where a child is kidnapped for ransom. Abigail asks the question of what if that child was a vampire ballerina? This movie, directed by Matt Bettinelli Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence, was an absolute blast. Just like their two Scream movies and Ready or Not, Abigail has explosive, bloody kills, a lot of humor, and a fantastic ensemble cast.
- Alien: Romulus: The latest Alien film did justice to its predecessors but also took some exciting new chances. This movie was beautifully shot (seeing it in IMAX was a memorable experience), with horrific monster design and inventive iterations on some of the series' most famous tropes. Director Fede Alvarez is an Alien superfan and it shows.
- Cuckoo: Cuckoo was one weird movie, and I say that as a compliment. Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens made some interesting performance choices that allowed them to steal the show, while elsewhere in the film there were some truly unsettling moments and images to make your blood run cold.
- The First Omen: Whether audiences saw The First Omen or Immaculate first will likely determine which film they liked better. Both feature an extremely similar plot of a young nun being forced to give birth to the Antichrist. The First Omen won me over with its wild final act that really paid off everything that came before it with some horrifying imagery.
- Immaculate: I still think I Iiked Immaculate just a bit more (I saw this one first, so there you go). Sydney Sweeney was well cast as the young nun, and she channeled her best acting skills as someone who is freaking the hell out over an escalatingly crazy situation. Immaculate's merging of science and religion was really interesting, and its final scene is one that will stick with you.
- Late Night with the Devil: I first heard of Late Night with the Devil the day before I went to the movies to see it, and I'm glad I did. This movie nailed the feeling of an old '70s talk show before devolving into a climax that nearly made me jump out of my chair. David Dastmalchian is a face that most moviegoer's know as a supporting player, but he killed it in a starring role here.
- Longlegs: Longlegs was my most anticipated horror movie of the year, and it did not disappoint. Creepy, suspenseful, but also just a touch ridiculous, this movie fully committed to the bit. Maika Monroe's partner getting shot early on was one of the most shocking moments in horror this year, and it set the tone for a movie that never let the viewer feel comfortable for a single second.
- Nosferatu: I don't know about you, but when Robert Eggers is making a movie, I'm there Day One. Nosferatu is one of the most beautifully shot movies this year, and Eggers also got tremendous performances from his loaded cast, especially Lily-Rose Depp. From the black and white cinematography to the faithfulness with which it renders the classic vampire tale, Nosferatu is a Gothic horror throwback that I'm glad exists.
- Strange Darling: Much like Late Night with the Devil, I knew nothing about Strange Darling until just before seeing it in theaters. Horror movies can sometimes be predictable, but this movie turned me and flipped me upside down multiple times with its out-of-order storytelling and sharp twists. Strange Darling defies horror convention in a lot of ways, which made it a wild ride that I'd highly recommend.
- The Substance: If you're not into body horror, stay far away from The Substance. A lady actually walked out of my theater when the bonkers final act kicked into gear, while I sat back laughing in disbelief that something this insane was actually happening. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley ruled, but behind all of the gross-outs is an important fable of the way expectations of beauty can ruin womens' lives.
Winner: The Substance
This was a hotly contested race, with Longlegs as the primary challenger, but in the end, The Substance is undeniable for its fearless performances from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, pulsating soundtrack and willingness to hit the limit and then race past it. It's rare that a movie makes me say, "I can't believe they just did that." The Substance did.
Best Horror Actor nominees
- David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil): I never knew I needed David Dastmalchian as Johnny Carson in a satanic cult, but here we are. Dastmalchian nailed every note to make this really feel like found footage from decades ago, from his line readings on the purposefully cheesy late night banter to his reactions when everything hits the fan.
- Hugh Grant (Heretic): Creepy Hugh Grant is my favorite Hugh Grant, and the sinister way his Mr. Reed character intellectually pushes and probes two young Mormon missionaries that have no idea what they've gotten into almost had me nodding along at points while hoping against all hope that they would find a way to escape.
- David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus): Androids have almost always been antagonistic in the Alien franchise, but David Jonsson's Andy is different. He's sensitive and capable of developing human connection, but still acts and sounds in many ways like a non-human. Jonsson captured that dichotomy beautifully, while also showing off his range when Andy's new directive temporarily forced him to be more severe.
- Bill Skarsgard (Nosferatu): Taking a classic character and making it your own isn't an easy task, but Bill Skarsgard managed to do it with the titular vampire. Between It, Barbarian, and now Nosferatu, Skarsgard's appearance in any modern horror movie make it a must-watch. That booming gravelly voice is still with me over two months later.
- Dan Stevens (Cuckoo and Abigail): In the actual Academy Awards, actors may only be recognized for one role when nominated, but I'm bending the rules here for another guy that is becoming a horror staple. Dan Stevens' performances in Cuckoo and Abigail couldn't be more different, but they're both memorable. In one he's an eccentric hotelier that likes to play God, in the other he's a fast-talking kidnapper-turned-vampire. He nails them both.
Winner: David Jonsson
It may feel like an upset to not give Hugh Grant his flowers here, but Jonsson was so, so good in a role that few people could have pulled off that I had to go with him. He was already good in Industry and Rye Lane, but he was transcendent in Alien: Romulus.
Best Horror Actress nominees
- Carolyn Bracken (Oddity): Oddity just missed getting nominated for Best Horror Picture, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate Carolyn Bracken for her dual-roled performance in this seriously unsettling movie. Bracken plays twin sisters in Oddity, one of whom is blind, and she's so distinct in each role that I wasn't positive until the credits rolled whether it was one actress or two.
- Maika Monroe (Longlegs): If we're making a shortlist of people I love to see in a horror movie, Maika Monroe is at or very near the top. Her performance in It Follows still resonates over a decade later, but the work she did as FBI agent Lee Harker is even more nuanced and singular. This wasn't a loud, flashy part like some we're about to get to, but Monroe's emotional blankness through much of the movie made it hit so much harder when she finally showed cracks in her tough exterior.
- Demi Moore (The Substance): What a gift it's been to see Demi Moore come back with a part that it feels like only she could play, but that must have taken such guts to actually accept and commit to. Elisabeth Sparkle is a stand-in for every aging woman that feels devalued as her beauty wanes, and Moore's increasing anger and desperation throughout The Substance take those feelings and turn them up to the nth degree.
- Lily-Rose Depp (Nosferatu): It feels like nobody knew what exactly to make of Lily-Rose Depp after her starring turn in The Idol, a show that seemed to baffle and infuriate as much as it entertained. Nosferatu proves that she has the chops to be a star, as her physical commitment alone took the movie to another level. With its stunning cinematography, Nosferatu was beautiful to look at, but Depp's performance created a real sense of stakes.
- Alisha Weir (Abigail): Abigail doesn't work if the right child actor isn't cast in the title role. It works so well because she was. Alisha Weir was awesome as she pirouetted around the screen to deliver bites and mayhem to her captors, and she was genuinely funny at times, too.
Winner: Demi Moore
No surprise here, as Demi Moore takes home yet some more hardware this awards season. Moore's redemption narrative is great and fittingly being celebrated right now, but that's not why she keeps winning. She was phenomenal in this role, and never better than when she called off a date with a dorky former schoolmate because she hated the way she looked so much that she smeared the makeup off of her face in front of the bathroom mirror.
Best Horror Director nominees
- Fede Alvarez (Alien: Romulus): Fede Alvarez can direct as many Alien movies as he wants, and I'll be the first in line to see them. From the planet the movie begins on to the deep reaches of space, Alvarez fully realized a world where the Weyland-Yutani corporation holds all the power. He also expertly ratcheted up the terror in the final act, concluding with one of the biggest WTF moments of any horror movie this year.
- Robert Eggers (Nosferatu): Robert Eggers has proven that his attention to detail is unmatched. Nosferatu was obviously made by someone with reverence for the source material, but it also stands apart due to its gorgeous framing and sound design. Though this film is beautiful to watch and listen to, Eggers should also be commended for getting outstanding performances from every single person in the cast.
- Coralie Fargeat (The Substance): It's easy to do crazy in a movie. Doing crazy but making it actually be really good is another thing entirely. Coralie Fargeat pulls off that high-wire act with an assured confidence that only comes when you believe so deeply in the story you want to tell. The Substance came out of nowhere to become such a sleeper hit because Fargeat's message not only wasn't lost among all the lunacy on display, it was enhanced by it.
- Chris Nash (In a Violent Nature): It's amazing that we've never seen a movie told from the perspective of a Jason Voorhees-like character, at least until In a Violent Nature came along. This movie juxtaposed long, slow walks in the woods with some of the gnarliest kills you've ever seen, and the more I think about it, the more I like it. Nash's decision to end the movie in such an unexpectedly quiet and contemplative way is going to age well.
- Osgood Perkins (Longlegs): We could talk about the cinematography and design choices in Longlegs all day, but what gets Osgood Perkins on this list is the way he suffused such a crushing sense of dread into his entire movie. Watching Longlegs made me anxious, and that doesn't usually happen.
Winner: Coralie Fargeat
This was a three-horse race between Fargeat, Alvarez and Perkins. Alvarez did so many things right, but relied a touch too heavily on fan service for my taste, and the more I think about it, the more I don't love the whole "let's put a hologram of a dead guy in the movie" idea, even if Ian Holm's family did grant permission. Perkins would win this most years, but the surprise success of The Substance is a direct result of everything Fargeat did.
Best Horror Villain nominees
- Johnny (In a Violent Nature): This spot was between Johnny and Art the Clown from Terrifier 3, but I'm going with the new guy because he had the single best kill of the year. Johnny has one rule — don't touch his necklace. Once that was broken, you couldn't help but sit back and admire as he did his thing, part of which included walking across the bottom of a lake and using a log splitter to great effect.
- Lilly (Late Night with the Devil): As far as causing maximum carnage in a short period of time goes, Lilly might be the pound-for-pound champ. We see shades of creepiness from her interview on Night Owls with Jack Delroy, but that does nothing to prepare us for when she goes Super Saiyan and lays waste to the entire studio.
- Mr. Reed (Heretic): We sung Hugh Grant's praises above, but let's do it again. Mr. Reed from Heretic was charming but diabolical, welcoming but threatening. He made some hard-to-argue points, then he used them to plunge his victims even deeper down the rabbit hole. A disjointed final act kept Heretic from true greatness, but Mr. Reed lives on in our hearts anyway.
- The Offspring (Alien: Romulus: A great horror villain needs to be scary first and foremost, and the Offspring, played by 7-foot-7 Romanian basketball player Robert Bobroczkyi in his first acting role, was the most terrifying creature in horror this year. A mix between a xenomorph and a human, the Offspring's arrival doesn't bode well for the future of his mother's race, and it didn't bode well for her either, as he fed on her shortly after being born.
- Ruth Harker (Longlegs): Nicholas Cage's deranged performance as the title character in Longlegs got people talking, but Alicia Witt played an even more interesting role as a zealously religious mom that used her faith as a way to get close to her and Longlegs' victims. There's some DNA of Piper Laurie in Carrie here, which is high praise.
Winner: The Offspring (Alien: Romulus)
Ruth Harker finishes a close second, but the monster design of the Offspring, as well as the fact that it was created without using CGI, makes it too memorable to ignore. This unnatural hybrid grew to its immense size in just minutes, and I'm still haunted by how it didn't need to learn cruelty and sadism — it was born with it.