Horror Slashes Records at the Oscars

It’s not often that you hear the Oscars and horror in the same sentence. Only 8 horror films have been nominated by the Academy for their prestigious awards. The most recent being The Substance, securing 5 nominations for Best Picture in 2025. It seems lighting is striking twice for fans of the macabre. Sinners, Frankenstein, and Weapons are all nominated for awards at the 2026 Oscars. Sinners is nominated in 16 categories. A new record for the most Academy Award nominations in history.

That isn’t the only record broken by horror, because ‘Weapons’ own Aunt Gladys actress Amy Madigan now has the longest gap between Oscar nominations for any actress. People interviewed Madigan about her record, in which she stated, “It just means that you can have a long career. And I’ve had a long career, and I’m continuing to do that.” Madigan’s last nomination was back in 1985 for Twice in a Lifetime. That’s 40 years between nominations.

Before her was Helen Hayes with a record of 39 years for the last 55 years. Her win would make her the second-oldest winner of Best Supporting Actress. Only in Hollywood could this happen. These back-to-back successes are major steps for horror to be treated as a serious contender throughout future award seasons.

Words by: Mojorisen Andrew