BloodyDisgusting reported that Jordan Peele’s movie, Get Out, is being considered for a Golden Globe. This is fabulous news for horror fans, but the rug is ripped out from under us when you see the fine print: the movie is being considered not in the drama category, but for comedy. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should know that it is not in any way, shape, or form a comedy, although it does have one or two funny moments.
As BloodyDisgusting put it, at least the movie is being considered at all. And, to be fair, the Golden Globes are divided only into two categories: drama and comedy or musical. However, the fact that horror fans are saying, “At least it’s being considered at all” is just sad. The truth of the matter is that horror films are severely underrepresented for awards like the Golden Globes.
Take the Academy Award for Best Picture for example. Since the first Oscar was handed out, only one horror movie has won Best Picture. In other words, out of 89 films to receive a Best Picture award, The Silence of the Lambs was the only one from the horror genre. Even so, they called the film a “psychological thriller,” which is true until you get to the last 45 minutes of the movie.
But wait! Horror movies could have been nominated, right? Wrong, except for 3 lucky films. Out of 537 films nominated for Best Picture, only The Exorcist, Jaws, and of course The Silence of the Lambs have represented the horror genre. Scary flicks have been nominated and won in other categories, but the Academy Award for Best Picture is arguably one of the most prestigious and sought-after awards in the industry. Movies that literally shaped the horror genre into what we see today such as Psycho, Halloween, The Shining, The Blair Witch Project, and countless other great horror pictures have been shoved into a corner and forgotten about by the Academy.
It is so interesting, considering that 2017 has been the best year for horror flicks ever according to the New York Times. The article also says the amount of money made from scary movies has been climbing since the 1970s. Not only that, but the genre has soared above all other movie types so far thanks to movies like Get Out doing very well and IT crushing box office records. The Wrap reports that scary movies have made $1.1 billion, making up 12% of the Film Industry’s domestic earnings so far. 2017 isn’t even over yet! With increasing revenue and buzz being generated each decade, it’s odd that these movies aren’t nominated more often.
So what’s the real problem here? Unfortunately, horror movies come wrapped in a giant stigma bow. Jen and Sylvia Soska, or the Soska sisters as they are otherwise known, are two horror directors. In an interview for the 2014 documentary, Why Horror?, they said that people often tell them they will find something better to do for work eventually. The directing duo has to explain that they want to do horror films, and they wouldn’t chose any other genre. This is a prime example of how the horror genre is the black sheep of the movie world.
The genre is still considered a taboo of sorts. Horror is considered a very low genre in a lot of circles. It’s understandable; the genre has probably produced some of the worst films in cinema history. Some people even call some of the subgeneres pretty interesting names, including torture porn (although some would say they are not appropriately named).
It’s not that just any horror film should get nominated just because it’s a part of the genre. The genre should get fair consideration, however, when it comes to award considerations. With the genre climbing to new heights this year, horror fans can hold out some hope that organizations like the Academy will take notice.
