Award-Winning Horror Movies from the Academy Awards to Cannes

Horror movies and award ceremonies have a troubled relationship. Horror fans know this all too well. Whenever the topic comes up, we don’t hesitate to declare “Hitchcock doesn’t have an Oscar, man!” signaling that this is where our blood feud begins. Some genres are treated like stepchildren neither loved in cinema nor in literature. Actually, they are loved, and loved deeply, but they’re looked down upon and belittled by certain circles. A few months ago, I gave a talk on escapist literature where the entire discussion revolved around this issue. Maybe one day I’ll write an article about it for the site. However, there are works that even catch the Academy’s radar, or that they couldn’t ignore due to the spirit of the times. Without further ado, let’s get to our list and see which award-winning horror films made the cut. Note: I created this list by selecting the 10 most prestigious award ceremonies.

Academy Awards (Oscars)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

• Best Picture
• Best Director (Jonathan Demme)
• Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins)
• Best Actress (Jodie Foster)
• Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally)

Get Out (2017)

• Best Original Screenplay (Jordan Peele)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

• Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Gordon)
• Best Adapted Screenplay Nomination (Roman Polanski)

Black Swan (2010)

• Best Actress (Natalie Portman)
• Best Director Nomination
• Best Picture Nomination

Cannes Film Festival

The Birds (1963)

• Technical Grand Prize (Alfred Hitchcock)

Antichrist (2009)

• Best Actress (Charlotte Gainsbourg)

BAFTA Awards

Black Swan (2010)

• Best Actress (Natalie Portman)

The Others (2001)

• Best Original Screenplay Nomination (Alejandro Amenábar)
• Best Actress Nomination (Nicole Kidman)

Golden Globe Awards

Get Out (2017)

• Best Director Nomination (Jordan Peele)

The Sixth Sense (1999)

• Best Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment)
• Best Supporting Actress (Toni Collette)
• Best Director Nomination (M. Night Shyamalan)

Venice Film Festival

Don’t Look Now (1973)

• Best British Film Nomination

Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale)

Repulsion (1965)

• Silver Bear for Best Director (Roman Polanski)

César Awards

The Others (2001)

• Best Foreign Film

Goya Awards

The Orphanage (2007)

• Best New Director (Juan Antonio Bayona)
• Best Original Screenplay (Sergio G. Sánchez)
• Best Picture Nomination

Sundance Film Festival

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

• Best Director (Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez)

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

The Fly (1986)

• Best Director (David Cronenberg)