In 1896, the first horror film was made by French magician, actor and director Georges Méliès. “Le Manoir du Diable,” or its English title, “The House of the Devil,” pioneered the horror genre with animated skeletons and ghosts.
Over a century later, the genre has stretched to thousands of movies, but few have garnered critical acclaim — until this year’s 97th Academy Awards.
Horror movie “The Substance” has been nominated for four awards including Best Actress and Best Picture, alongside other horror films such as Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” and Fede Álvarez’s “Alien Romulus.”
“I think it’s one of those movies where you watch it, your jaw is on the floor,” said Tanner Deml, a member of the Minneapolis Film Society and avid horror fan. “The second you leave the theater, you’re already texting your friends.”
Unpacking the topic of ageism and unattainable beauty standards in Hollywood, Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” plays with its themes in a horrific and gory manner.
“Compared to other horror movies, I think ‘The Substance’ does something very different,” said University of Minnesota student Lila Swedzinski. “The direction style is so different. Even if it’s not a gory scene, it still can be striking and disturbing.”
Swedzinski watched the film after hearing about its critical acclaim and discussing it with classmates. However, she has been a fan of horror for years, citing Jordan Peele’s 2017 “Get Out” as one of her favorites.
“It was ‘Get Out’ that really got me into it because it was horror with actually good acting and a really interesting plot,” Swedzinski said.
Deml attributes a shift in critical acclaim of the genre to the success of “Get Out,” which received the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
“It won an Oscar through the script,” Deml said. “And I think that really opened people’s eyes to take horror seriously.”
Prior to this win, only five horror films received nominations at their respective Oscars — “The Exorcist” in 1973, which was the first horror film nominated for Best Picture, followed by “Jaws” two years later.
The first and only horror movie to win the award for Best Picture was “The Silence of the Lambs” in 1991. It was not until eight years later that “The Sixth Sense” would be nominated, followed by “Black Swan,” both of which failed to win the award.
Eight years later, “The Substance” has swept the 2025 award season. Lead actress Demi Moore won her first Golden Globe for her performance, a much-deserved win according to University student Lynniah Weddington.
“I feel like she was the perfect person because, if anything, she has personal experience with this,” Weddington said. “I really enjoyed it. I feel like it was something fresh.”
The 2025 Oscars have passed, but those within the horror film community feel hopeful about the future of the genre.
Deml said his generation is making the type of horror films they craved when they were younger.
“They have this deep love for the genre, and now they’re actually creating them,” Deml said. “It’s not just about making money, it’s about telling a great story and creating an amazing film that will scare people.”
