5) A Horror Movie Contained An Oscar Worthy Performance
The Academy Awards are notoriously snobbish, usually rewarding films of a certain style and caliber while leaving genre movies out in the dust. Even the most celebrated critics acknowledge that some of the greatest films ever made originated in the horror or science fiction genres, yet our buddy Oscar rarely agrees. While some classics like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby have received some limited recognition from the Academy, other iconic horror movies such as The Shining and Halloween were never even considered, despite their now legendary status.
Australian horror movie The Babadook came out of nowhere this year, gaining more and more buzz with every festival showing until it was eventually released to huge acclaim in cinemas. While the success of this small Australian feature was unexpected, the truly surprising thing about Jennifer Kent’s debut is that it contains a star-making turn from its lead Essie Davis, one which is surely worthy of Oscar recognition.
It’s been a while since a horror movie has generated any Oscar buzz, but then it’s also been a long time since a scary film has featured a performance of this caliber. Davis’ transition from exhausted caregiver to monstrous mother is more than worthy of attention during the upcoming awards season. However, the real surprise will be whether Davis actually wins an Oscar.
Stanley Kubrick was nominated by the Razzie Awards following his work on The Shining, so stranger things have certainly happened…