Biggest year for horror and musicals at Oscars in five decades

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 analysis last year found 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.

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.

“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.

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“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).

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.

“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.