There’s no doubt about it: It’s an excellent time to be a horror fan. This isn’t the first time that we’ve wrote about the horror genre’s surge in quality over the last several years, but yesterday’s list of the 90th Academy Awards nominees only prove that the genre is really starting to be elevated in a profound way. Iconic director Guillermo del Toro — who directed The Shape of Water — for one, is thrilled about it. Speaking to EW, the filmmaker had high praise for the Academy’s recognition of horror:
“This is the year in which the genre takes its place on the stage without being backed by a bestselling book or a literary classic. Normally when the fantastic is at this stage of the conversion, it is backed up by one of these things. I think it’s beautiful that this has happened.”
The horror genre is so often steeped in gore, copious amounts of nudity, and overall campiness that it can be easily overlooked by the upper-crust of Hollywood. While those kinds of films are fun in their own right, when given the proper treatment, the genre can make some pretty powerful statements.
Do you think The Shape of Water, and Get Out deserve Academy recognition? What are some past horror films that you feel deserved Oscars? Let us know in the comments!
From master storyteller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER – an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of silence and isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.
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Originally published January 24, 2018. Updated December 2, 2022.
