With the gory body horror The Substance and musicals Emilia Perez and Wicked competing for top Oscars, this marks the biggest year for both genres in over 50 years.
Sky News analysislast yearfound that top Oscar nominees were often lesser-known, artistic films rather than major box office hits. But the success of Barbie and Oppenheimer signalled a shift, which horror and musicals have continued this year, with The Substance and Wicked earning both critical and commercial success.
Horror films have received more Oscar nominations in 2025 than in any year since 1974, when The Exorcist became the first horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture. It remains the most successful horror film in Oscar history, winning awards for Sound and Screenplay.
Both years, saw horror films earn 10 nominations overall. In 1974, all 10 went to The Exorcist, with five in top categories.
This year, Nosferatu has received four nominations, though none in major categories, while The Substance has secured five, including three in major fields: Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Directing. This makes The Substance the most successful horror film at the Oscars since The Exorcist.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), whose members vote for Oscar nominations and winners, has made a concerted effort in recent years to expand its membership in response to concerns over a lack of diversity in nominations.
Image: The Exorcist was the first horror films to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Pic: Warner Bros/Hoya Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
A younger, more globally diverse voting body may be driving horror’s increased recognition at the Oscars.
“With horror, traditionally there’s been an inherent barrier just based on the fact that some people can’t stomach the content or the simple intensity of horror films, no matter the level of quality. That has probably contributed historically to horror not being as widely recognised,” said Jordan Farley, film critic and author of the film-focused newsletter The Movie Wingman.
“I think that attitude is eroding, simply because the voting body is expanding to include a greater number of younger voters, more global voters and people raised on more extreme horror films,” he added.
The Substance, one of this year’s most celebrated horror films, has already dominated the awards season.
Lead actress Demi Moore has won multiple Best Actress awards, including at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, and the Critics Choice Awards, solidifying its momentum ahead of the Oscars.
Image: The Substance is one of the most successful horror films at the Oscars since The Exorcist. Pic: Mubi
“It’s in times of uncertainty that horror films begin to reflect our anxieties,” said Dr. Steven Gerrard, a reader in film at Leeds Beckett University with a special interest in horror.
Coralie Fargeat, director of The Substance, told Sky News: “For me, this story expresses what it means to be a woman in our society in a very genuine way – the violence that exists at every level and stage of our lives. From childhood to old age, we face countless pressures, injunctions, judgments, and representations that make us feel that if we don’t fit the perfect fantasy or ideal that society has decided for us, then we don’t deserve to exist”.
The last time a horror film won an Oscar was in 2018 when Get Out won for Best Screenplay.
“Get Out is really about race relations. It’s a blend of Frankenstein, The Island of Dr. Moreau and concerns around immigration policies,” said Dr Gerrard.
Return of the musical?
Musicals have also reached a milestone this year, receiving more Oscar nominations than in any year since 1969, when films like Oliver! and Funny Girl dominated the awards.
Musicals reached their peak at the Oscars in 1945, when synchronised sound was still relatively new in cinema, having only become widespread in the early 1930s.
Hollywood studios quickly recognised musicals as the perfect way to capitalise on this breakthrough, showcasing the full potential of sound in film. The genre thrived during the Second World War, as audiences sought uplifting escapism.
This year, Emilia Perez and Wicked have led the musical resurgence. Wicked has secured 10 nominations, including three in top categories (Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress).
Image: Cynthia Erivo and co-star Ariana Grande are up for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in Wicked. Pic: Universal Pictures
Emilia Perez has gone even further, earning 13 nominations, including four in major categories (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Directing). This ties it with Chicago and Mary Poppins as the second most-nominated musical, trailing only La La Land.
However, Emilia Perez has faced criticism for its handling of key themes since its release. In recent weeks, its star, Karla Sofia Gascon, the first trans person to be nominated in an acting category, has come under scrutiny for past social media posts, raising questions about whether the backlash could affect the film’s standing in the awards race.
In 2017, La La Land became the most-nominated musical in Oscar history, earning 14 nominations, including four in major categories. In the years that followed, A Star Is Born (2019) received eight nominations, four in top categories, and won for Best Original Song.
The first adaptation of West Side Story (1961) remains the most successful musical in Oscar history, winning 10 awards, including three in major categories. Its second adaptation, released in 2021, earned seven nominations, including three in top categories, with Ariana DeBose winning Best Supporting Actress.
Chicago remains the most-nominated musical for top awards in recent history, receiving six in 2002 alongside 13 overall and winning six Oscars.
Unlike horror, which rarely gains Oscar recognition outside of a few standout films, musicals tend to fall in and out of fashion.
Image: Rita Moreno (L) and Ariana DeBose (R) as Anita in the 1961 and 2021 versions of West Side Story. Pics: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock and 20th Century Studios
“There’s less of a barrier to entry than with horror. Some people just don’t have the stomach for horror films, whereas with musicals, you might not love them, but most people are willing to give them a chance,” said Mr Farley.
“There is a preconception that you have to have a very high skill ceiling to be in a musical. It’s a multi-discipline production. You have to be able to sing, you have to be able to dance as well as act. That’s not easy,” he added.
While musicals have seen waves of success over the decades, and horror has occasionally broken through, this year marks a big moment for both genres at the Oscars. Whether this signals a lasting revival for genre films or just a momentary resurgence remains to be seen.
Methodology
To analyse the representation of horror and musical films at the Oscars, we compiled two datasets: one for films in these genres and another for Oscar nominees and winners.
Using The Movie Database (TMDb) API, we retrieved a list of horror and musical films by filtering for movies tagged under these genres. This dataset covered films released between 1928 and 2024.
Separately, we built a database of Oscar nominees and winners from the first Academy Awards to the present (1928-2025). While we examined overall nominations, references to “top” or “prestigious” awards in this analysis specifically refer to Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
Anora has dominated the Academy Awards, winning five gongs including best picture.
The film’s star, Mikey Madison, who plays a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, took home the best actress award – a win that was not a total upset, but many had expected Demi Moore to scoop the prize for her performance in The Substance.
Anora filmmaker Sean Baker was named best director, and used his acceptance speech to make a plea for audiences to support cinemas, which he said were “a vital part of our culture” and at risk of being lost.
Both also thanked sex workers who consulted on the film, saying they could never have made it without them.
Anora also won the Oscarsfor best original screenplay and best editing. Winning all four awards he was up for, Baker tied with Walt Disney’s record for the most Oscar wins by a single person in a single night – although Disney won his awards for multiple works, rather than a single film as Baker has done.
Adrien Brody won the best actor Oscar for playing Hungarian architect Lazlo Toth in architectural epic The Brutalist.
It was his second Academy Award win in the category some 22 years after his first, for The Pianist back in 2003.
Image: Adrien Brody won the best actor award – his second Oscar – for his performance in The Brutalist. Pic: Reuters
Accepting his award in a lengthy speech, he paid tribute to his partner Georgina Chapman, who he said had “re-invigorated” his “self-worth” and “sense of value”.
Best cinematography also went to The Brutalist directror Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour epic, which also took home the prize for best original score.
Papal thriller Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, took just one award, for best adapted screenplay.
Image: Kieran Culkin won best supporting actor. Pic: Reuters
Kieran Culkin took the first award of the night, best supporting actor, for his role in comedy drama A Real Pain, while the best supporting actress prize was won by Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana, her first Oscar win and nomination.
One of the highest-grossing actresses ever, she cried out “Mommy, mommy”, on stage, explaining her entire family was there with her. She became tearful at the end of her speech as she spoke of being “a proud child of immigrant parents”.
Image: Zoe Saldana was named best actress. Pic: Reuters
Announced by Mick Jagger, best song went to Emilia Perez’s El Mal (which translates as “Evil”), while the prize for costume design went to Wicked’s Paul Tazewell – who became the first black man to receive the award. The Wizard Of Oz prequel also won best production design.
Brazilian director Walter Salles won best international feature for Portuguese-language film I’m Still Here, set in the 1970s in the midst of the Brazil’s brutal military dictatorship.
A word-of-mouth hit, the film’s Brazilian star Fernanda Torres has gone from a relative unknown to a much-talked-about actress in the US in the last few months.
Image: Star of I’m Still Here, Fernanda Torres. Pic: Reuters
Make-up and hairstyling was awarded to body horror The Substance, a film which showcased extreme prosthetics, make-up and gore throughout. It was the film’s only win of the night.
The documentary categories went to The Only Girl In The Orchestra and No Other Land – made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective – for short film and feature film respectively.
Accepting the prize, it’s makers Basel Dra and Yuval Abraham made a political plea to the US: “The foreign policy in this country is helping to block [the path of peace]. Why? Can’t you see that we are intertwined? There is another way. It’s not too late for life, for the living.”
Best sound and best visual effects went to Dune: Part Two, directed by Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.
A night where independent and unusual filmmaking was rewarded, best animated feature went to Latvian computer-generated film Flow, while best animated short film was won by Iranian entry The Shadow Of The Cypress. Both international productions are dialogue-free.
Live action short film went to I’m Not A Robot, a study in an AI-fueled identity crisis.
Image: Tributes were paid to a host of late industry greats, starting with Gene Hackman. Pic: AP/Chris Pizzello
A video montage honoured Academy members who have passed away over the last year, including British stars Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Joan Plowwright and Donald Sutherland, and US performers James Earl Jones, Kris Kristofferson and David Lynch.
There was also a moving segment honouring late music producer Quincy Jones, led by Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg and featuring rapper Queen Latifah.
Sky News is livestreaming the Vanity Fair and Sir Elton John after-party red carpets following the ceremony. Catching the Oscar-winners as they party the night away, join us there from 6am.
A surprise Bond tribute, a win that means one actor could become a father again (twice), and an urgent chewing gum disposal – the 2025 Oscars had plenty of talking points aside from the wins.
Adrien Brody was named best actor, with his film The Brutalist taking home three awards in total, while Emilia Perez, Wicked and Dune: Part Two each picked up two.
But we don’t tune in to the Oscars just for the wins. We tune in for the fashion! And the mad moments on stage.
So here’s everything else that went on during the ceremony.
Way to make an entrance
Image: Pic: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
As openers go, it was quite the arrival. In a send-up of body horror The Substance, host Conan O’Brien emerged from Demi Moore’s spine to make it to the ceremony.
“Conan, everyone’s waiting,” a nervous runner shouted as he knocked on the comedian’s dressing room door – but O’Brien had to dive back in to Moore’s back as he was missing a shoe.
The “four-time Oscar viewer”, as O’Brien was introduced, then launched into an opening monologue which included the usual roasts of some of the nominees in the audience.
The biggest collective “ooh” came when he referenced the swearing in Anora – comparing it to that of Emilia Perez star Karla Sofia Gascon’s publicist in recent weeks, after old tweets posted by the actress emerged in the wake of her Oscar nomination.
Gascon, who has been absent from red carpets following the controversy, was then shown in the audience. “If you’re going to tweet,” O’Brien asked her, “remember my name is Jimmy Kimmel”.
Adrien Brody needed to get rid of his chewing gum
Image: Pic: AP/ Chris Pizzello
After being named best actor for his performance in The Brutalist, Adrien Brody gave a poignant speech, acknowledging how acting “looks very glamorous and at certain moments it is”, but can also be a “fragile profession” and that he has learned the importance of perspective.
However, just seconds after his name was announced, as he was walking to the stage, Brody seemed to realise he was chewing gum. Which probably isn’t a good look for an Oscar winner giving a poignant speech.
So what do you do? No doubt in a bit of a panic, Brody chose to turn round, take it out – and throw it at his partner, Georgina Chapman. Which was all caught on camera before he turned round again and walked on stage.
He then gave a long speech, which led to producers attempting to play him out – but Brody told them to turn it off. Now, playing the music is a little rude, but his response? “I’ve been here before… It’s not my first rodeo.” Not great.
He went on to speak about wanting to fight against “systematic oppression, and antisemitism and racism”, adding that people should “not let hate go unchecked”.
Best speech goes to…
Image: Pic: AP/Chris Pizzello
Hailing Kieran Culkin‘s award acceptance speeches is almost getting boring now, but you’ve got to give it to him. He’s been a highlight of the awards season.
The actor, who picked up the best supporting actor gong for his performance in A Real Pain, started off by paying tribute to his fellow nominee and former Succession co-star Jeremy Strong, who was up for his performance in The Apprentice, as well as his A Real Pain co-star and director Jesse Eisenberg.
“Thank you for this movie, you are a genius,” he said to Eisenberg. “I will never say this again, so soak it up.”
So far, so fine. But Culkin went on to tell a story about how his wife, Jazz Charton, with whom he has two children, saying she had promised him a third after his previous Emmy win for Succession. And then a fourth if he ever won an Oscar.
“Love of my life, ye of little faith,” he told her, on stage. “I held my hand and you shook it… no pressure, I love you, I am really sorry I did this again, let’s get cracking on those kids.”
Firefighters get their moment
Image: Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department joined host Conan O’Brien on stage. Pic: AP/Chris Pizzello
Ahead of O’Brien’s opening monologue, a video showing clips of films about California and Los Angeles, such as La La Land and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, were shown in a tribute following the wildfires that tore through the county of LA in January.
During his opener, the host also managed a deft change of tone from his jokes to reference the tragedy.
“The people of Los Angeles have clearly been through a devastating ordeal,” he said. While awards shows can seem indulgent, he added, “the Oscars also shines the light on people you never see, technicians craftspeople, costume people.”
Later on, members of the fire service who tackled the blazes were introduced on stage and received a standing ovation from the stars in the audience.
O’Brien called them “heroes”, before inviting them to make jokes about comic book musical Joker 2, which was badly reviewed by critics, and Bob Dylan’s singing voice.
Bond tribute – but still no news
Image: Margaret Qualley performs during the James Bond tribute. Pic: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
First, the Oscars announced they would not be featuring original song performances during the ceremony this year, a break from tradition saying they wanted to focus more on songwriters.
Then, earlier this week, they announced Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo would be performing, actually, with stars including Doja Cat, British singer-songwriter Raye and Lisa of Blackpink on the bill, too.
Grande and Erivo naturally took things to the Emerald City at the start of the ceremony, but later on we found out what was planned for the others – a tribute to James Bond.
Introduced by former Bond star Halle Berry following a montage of 007 clips, Lisa belted out Live And Let Die by Wings, rapper Doja Cat sang Dame Shirley Bassey’s Diamonds Are Forever, while Raye performed Adele’s Skyfall – with the number also including a dance performance starring The Substance actress Margaret Qualley.
After the major news of the Amazon creative control takeover in February, were producers about to make the announcement Bond fans have been waiting for since Daniel Craig’s farewell in 2021 – the next 007 reveal? With such a long section dedicated to the nation’s favourite spy, especially given he hasn’t appeared on screen for five years, it certainly appeared that way.
But no. This was a tribute for Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who have ran the franchise since the mid-1990s after taking over from their father Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. The pair were announced as the recipients of the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award, an honorary Academy Award, at the Governors Awards last year.
So stand down, everyone. Looks like we’ve got longer to wait yet to find out what’s next for Bond.
Records broken
Image: Paul Tazewell, winner of the award for best costume design. Pic: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
If you wanna be a record breaker… dedication’s what you need. And with Anora’s five wins, including four personally for filmmaker Sean Baker, the director has equalled or broken a record held by none other than Walt Disney, depending on which way you look at it.
He equals Disney’s record for four wins for one person in one night, set in 1952 – but as Disney’s wins were for separate projects, Baker takes the record for most wins for one person for the same film.
Elsewhere, Wicked’s costume designer Paul Tazewell received a standing ovation as he became the first black man to win the award, and Latvia also picked up its first-ever Oscar, best animated feature film, for Flow.
Morgan Freeman pays tribute to Gene Hackman
Image: Morgan Freeman paid tribute to Gene Hackman. Pic: AP/Chris Pizzello
Following the news of Hollywood legend and Oscar winner Gene Hackman’s death earlier this week, a tribute to the star led the ceremony’s annual In Memoriam segment.
In an emotional speech, Morgan Freeman paid tribute to his friend, whom he worked with on Unforgiven and Under Suspicion.
Hackman was a “generous performer”, he said, who “won the hearts of film lovers around the world”.
He had always wanted to do “good work” in film, Freeman told the audience. “You’ll be remembered for that, and so much more”.
The section then continued with on-screen tributes to stars including Dame Maggie Smith, Kris Kristofferson, Donald Sutherland, Joan Plowright, David Lynch and James Earl Jones, who all died in 2024.
Later on, there was also a separate tribute to legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who also died last year, led by Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg.
Hollywood’s biggest stars have begun arriving at the Oscars in Los Angeles.
Demi Moore, Timothee Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Zoe Saldana and Kieran Culkin are among the A-list nominees, with the race to win this year’s top prizes wide open.