The first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars
Although most film fans around the world tune in to the Oscars annually to learn about different filmmakers, actors, artists and genres, there is one genre that the Academy has always neglected – horror. For a long time, there has been an inherent elitist bias against horror films which critics have dismissed as B-flicks and camp.
That’s exactly why only a handful of horror films have managed to garner a nomination for the coveted Best Picture category at the Academy Awards. Despite the extensive history of the Oscars and the countless horror masterpieces that have emerged since the conception of the Academy, only six horror films have been considered for the Best Picture Prize.
In recent years, critics have started throwing around terms such as “elevated horror” due to the popularity of arthouse horror projects such as Ari Aster’s Midsommar and Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse. However, these labels only rigidify the snobbish divides created by those who feel horror films aren’t artistic.
The iconic horror masterpiece that set the ball rolling for its successors by becoming the first horror film to nab a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars was none other than The Exorcist. The 1973 supernatural horror gem, directed by William Friedkin, had an undeniable impact on the public perception of horror as well as the frameworks of the genre.
The Exorcist tells the story of a young girl who is possessed by a demon, and while the narrative is engaging, its greatest achievement is its ability to start heated cultural conversations. Friedkin’s subversive treatment of Catholicism and the film’s effortless success in shocking audiences helped it gain widespread social notoriety.
One of the most acclaimed horror films in history, The Exorcist was nominated in ten different categories at the Academy Awards. Even though it failed to win the Best Picture Prize, Friedkin’s gem did pick up Oscars in other categories, such as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.
More than the awards, The Exorcist’s legacy is the influence it had on other horror pioneers. John Carpenter once explained the magic of the film: “I watched it again recently and was surprised by how intense it is… The things that they did back then, with this little girl, they broke a bunch of taboos, my god. It’s pretty damn good.”
