The 2025Oscarnominations included a Best Picture nod for a horror film, leading many to wonder which others in the genre have achieved this milestone. The fulllist of 2025’s Oscar nominationsis already causing a great deal of discussion, just as the Academy Award selections of each year tend to provide. Be it thesurprises and snubs of the 2025 Oscar listor predictions for which actors, movies, producers, directors, cinematographers, or composers will win each category, the award season celebrating 2024 is in full swing.
As usual, theBest Picture picks for the 2025 Oscarsare making the headlines. The projects nominated as the crown jewel of 2024 includeAnora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, The Substance,andWicked.Most of these picks were expected going into 2025’s awards season, but there are a few that catch the eye, including a horror movie. Even some of thebest horror movies of all timehave failed to earn a Best Picture nominee, with 2025 marking the seventh time this has happened in history.
7The Exorcist (1973)
Nominated For Best Picture At The 46th Academy Awards
The first horror film to ever be awarded a Best Picture Oscar nomination was 1973’sThe Exorcist. As one of the most iconic, recognizable horror films in history, this is no surprise.The Exorcistwas revered upon its release, receiving 10 total Academy Award nominations.The Exorcistfollows two Catholic priests who attempt to exorcise a demon from a young girl, with the film’s status as a cultural phenomenon standing the test of time. Even today,The Exorciststands as a pillar of the horror genre.
All of this only goes to make the film’s Best Picture nomination make all the more sense.The Exorcistwas nominated for the coveted award alongsideThe Sting, Cries and Whispers, American Graffiti,andA Touch of Class.The winner of Best Picture wasThe Sting, meaning thatThe Exorcistcould not become the first horror movie to win the awardas well as being nominated for it. Nonetheless, the cultural significance of the film proves above all else that a Best Picture nomination for it was more than warranted.
6Jaws (1975)
Nominated For Best Picture At The 48th Academy Awards
Following the precedence set byThe Exorcist,Jawsbecame the second horror film in history to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards.Jaws' iconicity is just as big, if not bigger, than that ofThe Exorcist, with the Steven Spielberg-directed film being known as the first-ever summer blockbuster.Jaws' story of a killer shark may prove a different take on the horror genre, but proved just as effective with critics and fans alike, with the film becoming the highest-grossing film in history until the release ofStar Warsin 1977.
As a watershed moment in the history of cinema,Jaws' release eventually led to the awards season.Jawswas nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound. The film won the latter three categories, with many rendering it a snub that Spielberg was not even nominated for Best Director.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nesttook the award, leavingJawswithout the Best Picture prize, but the second horror movie ever to be placed in contention for it…
Where the Best Picture prize was concerned,Jawswas up againstNashville, Dog Day Afternoon, Barry Lyndon,andOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.Were it not for the latter of these films,Jawscould well have been the favorite for the prize and become the first horror movie in history to win Best Picture. However,One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nesttook the award, leavingJawswithout the Best Picture prize, but the second horror movie ever to be placed in contention for it.
5The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Nominated For Best Picture At The 64th Academy Awards
After an almost 20-year period of horror movies being underrepresented regarding the Oscar’s most prestigious award,The Silence of the Lambsbecame the third horror film to be nominated for Best Picture. Released in 1991,The Silence of the Lambscontinued the trend of overly iconic horror movies being recognized by the Academy in a big way. Telling the story of Hannibal Lecter aiding the FBI in catching another mass murderer, the film - much likeThe ExorcistandJawsbefore it - has become synonymous with the horror genre and a staple of spooky, gory cinema.
At the 64th Academy Awards,The Silence of the Lambsmade history. The film became only the third in history to win for each of the five major categories: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and, of course, Best Picture.With its Best Picture win,The Silence of the Lambsbecame the first - and to date, only - horror movie to win the award, beating outBeauty and the Beast, JFK, Bugsy,andThe Prince of the Tidesat the award ceremony hosted in 1992 and solidifying its place as a true horror great.
4The Sixth Sense (1999)
Nominated For Best Picture At The 72nd Academy Awards
FollowingThe Silence of the Lambs’record-breaking horror win for Best Picture, no other movie in the genre could earn a nomination for the award for seven years. That is until 1999 when M. Night Shyamalan’sThe Sixth Sensebecame the fourth horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture. Again,The Sixth Senseis regarded as an incredibly influential horror movie, though not quite on the same level as those before it. Regardless, the film’s popularity saw it receive rave reviews and even put its director’s name on the filmmaking map due to its iconictwist ending Shyamalanis now synonymous with.
At the 72nd Academy Awards, hosted in 2000,The Sixth Sensewent up against four other films in the race for Best Picture. The other nominees includedThe Insider, The Green Mile, The Cider House Rules,andAmerican Beauty. Unlike its horror predecessor in 1991,The Sixth Sensecould not make history by winning the award, losing out toAmerican Beauty. Nonetheless, it still holds a place in the iconic horror movie pantheon for even being considered as a Best Picture-winning movie.
3Black Swan (2010)
Nominated For Best Picture At The 83rd Academy Awards
After the 16-year absence of horror films in the Best Picture nominations betweenJawsandThe Silence of the Lambs, the next-longest hiatus comes between 1999 and 2010. In the latter year, the fifth horror movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture was released:Black Swan.Directed by Darron Aronofsky,Black Swan -likeThe Silence of the Lambs- is a psychological horror film that received great acclaim upon its release. The film received five Oscar nominations, with lead actress Natalie Portman receiving a win for Best Actress.
More so than the other horror movies on this list,Black Swanfaced a difficult battle for Best Picture due to the increased number of nominations. The film faced eight other movies:The King’s Speech(the eventual winner),The Fighter,Inception, The Kids Are All Right, Toy Story 3, The Social Network, 127 Hours, True Grit,andWinter’s Bone.Black Swandid not quite have enough to overcome its competitors, but, evidently, based on the few subjects of this list, can count itself among some of the best horror moviesfor receiving one of only seven Best Picture nods.
2Get Out (2017)
Nominated For Best Picture At The 90th Academy Awards
Before 2025, the most recent Best Picture nomination in the horror genre was 2017’sGet Out.Get Outwas revered for its horror exploration of racial subject matter, helmed masterfully by a filmmaker known primarily for his comedic work, Jordan Peele. Thanks to its incredible response,Get Outreceived four nominations at the 90th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay, the latter of which was won by Jordan Peele.
LikeBlack Swan,Get Outfaced a lot of competition, meaning it could not joinThe Silence of the Lambsas only the second horror Best Picture winner. The film lost out toA Shape of Water, with the other nominees includingCall Me by Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post,andThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.Many felt thatGet Outwas the favorite during the 2018 Oscar season, but it proved not to overcome its competitors and was the last horror nomination in the Best Picture category until 2025…
1The Substance (2024)
Nominated For Best Picture At The 97th Academy Awards
The seventh horror film in history to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and the most recent, isThe Substance.The Substanceis singular on this list due to its primary category as a body horror film, which none of the other entries can claim.The Substanceexplores a black market drug that allows a fading celebrity to create a much younger clone of herself, leading to darker side effects. As a nominee in the Oscars' biggest category,The Substancewas one of the best-reviewed films of 2024.
Alongside Best Picture,The Substancewas nominated for Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Given that the 97th Academy Awards are not being hosted until August 10, 2025, it is unclear how many of these awards the film will win. To become only the second movie in history to win theOscarfor Best Picture, however,The Substancewill need to overcomeAnora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Emilia Pérez, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, NIckel Boys,andWicked.
