EJ Moreno on the Academy Award nominations…
The 2026 Oscars will be remembered as the night horror stopped asking for respect and started receiving it.
For decades, horror fans have watched the Oscars with a familiar mix of hope and resignation. Every so often, the Academy would toss the genre a bone: a technical nomination here, a score mention there, while steadfastly refusing to engage with the performances, storytelling, and emotional depth that made these films linger long after the credits rolled.
We’ve been here before. We championed Toni Collette’s earth-shattering work in Hereditary, only to see it ignored. We made the case, loudly and repeatedly, that horror wasn’t a guilty pleasure but a vital part of cinema’s bloodstream. That’s what makes the 2026 Oscars feel different. This wasn’t horror politely asking for a seat at the table…this was the genre taking over the room. With Sinners earning a historic haul of nominations, alongside recognition for Frankenstein, The Ugly Stepsister, and Amy Madigan’s devastating supporting turn in Weapons, the Academy finally did the unthinkable: it took horror seriously.
A Genre Long Dismissed (But Never Weak)
That’s not to say we’ve never been welcomed at this party before, but it often felt like a sympathy invite. Jaws and The Exorcist changed the game in the mid-70s, with one literally inventing the summer blockbuster and another pushing horror further into the prestige world. Kathy Bates took home some gold for her turn in the Stephen King adaptation Misery, and we all remember Natalie Portman’s Black Swan win. But outside of Jordan Peele’s Original Screenplay win for Get Out, it’s like modern horror could do nothing to impress the voters of the Academy.
The obvious prestige bias against fear, gore, and genre storytelling took away any chances for Toni Collette (Hereditary), Lupita Nyong’o (Us), and Mia Goth (Pearl) to get a nomination, let alone a win. And while Get Out bought Jordan Peele a ticket to the Oscars, it doesn’t seem like he’s welcomed back with open arms like many others are. Guillermo del Toro often makes his way into the race, which we’ll expand on later, but he alone doesn’t represent the hearts of all genre fans. With all the impressive work from across the genre, it was time for the Academy to open its eyes and expand its tastes.
Horror has been bringing in the dollars at the box office while also making even the most cynical critic a fan. Just in 2025 alone, horror films collectively passed $1 billion at the domestic box office, a milestone that underscores how profitable and popular the genre has become. While many have criticised the mid-2010s emphasis on “elevated horror,” it gave critics a bit more leniency that has spread across the genre. A film like this year’s Final Destination: Bloodlines would’ve been mauled by the media, but it currently sits at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and has grossed hundreds of millions at the box office.
That’s where this year really becomes a game-changer, as it’s impossible to ignore the output from the prestige favorites and the spry little underdogs.
SEE ALSO: The Flickering Myth Horror Awards
Why 2026 Was the Breaking Point
What I think 2025 really forced the 2026 Oscars’ hand is the sheer number of inarguable peak choices. There just wasn’t one lone film pushing its way through a bunch of Oscar bait and indie darlings; we had some of the best horror has to offer shining brighter than most. Sinners saw prestige horror with scale, craft, and cultural weight. Brought to life by Ryan Coogler, it was the talking point of the year, and it’s easy to see why it became the record-breaking smash it is. Delory Lindo found his way into a rightful Best Supporting Actor nomination, joining Jacob Elordi’s The Creature as double horror rep in this category.
Frankenstein and The Ugly Stepsister saw classical adaptation reframed in ways that made you really appreciate why horror is more polished than ever. Let’s not forget Amy Madigan (Weapons) became an instant horror icon while also providing her with the perfect Oscars narrative: a veteran actress getting her due. We all loved Aunt Gladys, and it was nice to see someone find a way to make a modern-day icon in an era that desperately needs them.
We saw range, pulling us through gothic, body horror, social horror, and psychological terror. We saw elevated storytelling without losing genre roots, finding that perfect balance that lets political and social commentary bake into the scares. It all aligns with the genre’s shift, which also aligns with a change the Academy is attempting. As horror tries to evolve and “grow up,” the Oscars are in this perpetual state of trying to be relevant again. It’s taken shifts in the membership, new outlines, and broader horizons, but it seems they might’ve tapped into a pulse by embracing horror. Horror also reflects the Academy’s tendencies, now with younger voters and a focus on mainstream content. For a moment, it felt like comic book movies might’ve been this new norm for the Oscars, but horror is what truly aligns with box office and critical respect.
Let’s also shed more light on The Ugly Stepsister. Nominated for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Award at the 98th Academy Awards, the indie horror film made it all the way to the big party, much like its fairy-tale backing. If you had told me years back that a movie from IFC Films, premiering at Sundance’s Midnight section and streaming on horror platform Shudder, would make it to the Oscars, I would’ve cackled. Now it’s a reality that the Oscars are finally living in.
The irony of it all, horror has been doing this. Dating back to the early days of A24’s prestige rise, and going further, to our beloved classics like The Thing or Psycho, horror has always been ready for this moment. It wasn’t like horror all of a sudden became “good enough”; it’s that the Academy caught up with what’s been happening. Horror didn’t evolve for the Oscars; the Oscars evolved for horror.
SEE ALSO: Whatever Happened to the Horror Icon?
What This Means Going Forward
Are nominations enough? No. We need wins.
Sinners, one of the top contenders, will need to overtake industry darling One Battle After Another, and Amy Madigan’s Best Supporting win is far from a lock. But it’s more possible than ever. The coming weeks will be important leading up to the big night, with horror not needing to dominate the conversation, but it should be on voters’ minds. We are tapping into fears and feelings like never before, and the Academy loves them.
Horror will be like this next year and the year after, but will the Oscars? Future genre films will not need to fight as hard to be respected, but let’s hope for more forward progress. 2026 is a chapter in this horror story, not the ending.
What are your thoughts on the Oscar nominations? Let us know your predictions on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
EJ Moreno
