Horror Makes a Comeback in Oscar Films

Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys in Weapons.
Credit: Warner Brothers

This year, I'm not as driven to see ALL of the Oscar-nominated films in every categories as I have been in previous years. For the past few seasons, I obsessively followed all the award nominations and ceremonies and gone to the movies in cinemas or streamed them. Remember Barbenheimer? This time I'm not as enthused about the choices. One Battle After Another, the frontrunner for Best Picture, did not grab me emotionally. It struck me as a brilliant technical achievement by Paul Thomas Anderson (all those long tracking shots with hundreds of background players), but the story and characters were extreme cartoons. Battle looks like the likely winner for Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay. Sinners will take Original Screenplay. Treyana Taylor of Battle could take Supporting Actress, but there is a lot of support for Amy Madigan for Weapons. Timothee Chalamet and Jessie Buckley are the favorites for Actor and Actress, probably Stellen Skarsgaard for Supporting Actor.

Horror is a prevalent genre this year with Sinners (16 noms, the most ever), Weapons, and Bugonia prominently featured. Perhaps this is a metaphorical response to our national trauma. Jessie Plemmons' character is a victim of abuse in Bugonia as are the missing children in Weapons and the juke joint patrons in Sinners are victims of racism. 

Oscar contenders seen:

Frankenstein (Netflix)

Nuremberg (Kaufman-Astoria)

Blue Moon (Kew Gardens Cinema)

One Battle After Another (Amazon Prime)

Train Dreams (Netflix)
Wicked: For Good (Regal Union Square in 3D, 4DX)

Hamnet (Kew Gardens Cinema)

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (Amazon Prime)

Sentimental Value (Angelika Cinema)

Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Sinners (HBO Max)

Familiar Touch (Amazon Prime)

Marty Supreme (Kew Gardens Cinema)

Bugonia (Apple TV)

Weapons (HBO Max)

Come See Me in the Good Light (Apple TV)

Short Film Docs

All the Empty Rooms (Netflix)

Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud (HBO Max)

The Devil Is Busy (HBO Max)