10 Horror Movies the Oscars Shouldn't (But Probably Will) Ignore

From Nope to Pearl to Nanny, here are some genre films that deserve serious consideration No images? [Click here]( ID=167008;size=700x180;setID=527264;uid={EMAIL}7196836;click=template_daily_awards_wrap_up [Daily Awards Wrap Up] January 6, 2023 [- - -] 10 Horror Movies the Oscars Shouldn’t (But Probably Will) Ignore in 2023 From “Nope” to “Pearl” to “Nanny,” here are some genre films that deserve serious consideration [- - -] By William Bibbiani “Nope” (Universal), “Pearl” (A24), “Nanny” (Amazon) The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gives out awards every single year, and like any other group, over time it’s clear that they have their favorites. Serious dramas reign at the Oscars, so much so that it’s a genuine shock when genre films get any serious attention outside of the technical categories. In particular, horror films like “The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Exorcist,” and “Get Out” win Oscars so very rarely that they’re easily written off as exceptions to the rule, instead of evidence that the horror genre is as rich and nuanced as any other and takes just as much award-worthy talent to craft. Every year it seems as if there are a handful of horror movies and performances that receive the much-coveted Oscar buzz, only to emerge from the season empty-handed. If Academy voters can convince themselves not to nominate Toni Collette for “Hereditary” or Lupita Nyong’o for “Us,” it’s quite possible that they could overlook even more of the best work the horror genre has to offer. With that in mind, and with the sincere hope that some Academy voters are paying attention, let’s take a look at just some of the Oscar-worthy horror movies that deserve consideration this year. Best Original Screenplay: Sarah DeLappe and Kristen Roupenian, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” It’s been an excellent year for the whodunnit genre, and while Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion” is soaking up most of the late year praise, Halina Reijn’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is just as smart and decidedly more vicious. The screenplay by Sarah DeLappe from a story by Kristen Roupenian is a witty and biting send-up of the murder mystery and slasher genres, in which a bunch of rich, entitled Millennials try to figure out who’s killing them off one by one in the middle of a hurricane, only to discover that their worst enemy is their own shallowness. ID=167008;size=300x250;setID=523257;uid={EMAIL}7196836;click=template_daily_awards_wrap_up Best Actress: Anna Diop, “Nanny” Nikyatu Jusu’s “Nanny” was the first horror movie to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. And while it’s mostly a subtle, suspenseful drama about a Senegalese immigrant working for a wealthy couple who take insidious advantage of her, it does indeed feature haunting imagery that pays off — overwhelmingly — by the end of the film. While it would be nice to think that Rina Yang’s stunning cinematography would also get some much-deserved Oscars attention, the camera lingers almost exclusively on Anna Diop, who gives an impressive and nuanced performance as a mother who stifles her despair and her rage for the sake of her son. In a year with fantastic lead performances (and we’ll get to a few more of them), Diop is still a standout. Best Actress: Mia Goth, “Pearl” Mia Goth turned heads with her performance in Ti West’s retro-slasher “X,” but she twisted them all the way around with the follow-up, “Pearl.” A dynamic showcase for Goth’s range and talents, “Pearl” finds her living in the 1910s in an oppressive household, struggling to hold back her sexual urges and violent temper in the hopes of heading out into the great big world and making something of herself. We already know she fails — that’s what “X,” which takes place decades later, was all about — and although she kills many people in “Pearl,” that sense of inevitability gives her performance a powerful sense of tragedy. Goth walks a thin line between raw emotion and camp and never makes a false step, and her climactic single-take monologue is one of the most impressive moments for any actor in years. Best Actress: Rebecca Hall, “Resurrection” Rebecca Hall is routinely overlooked by the Academy, but she has nevertheless emerged as one of the most interesting and exciting actors of her generation. It seems likely that, if the Oscars could somehow overlook her mesmerizing work in Antonio Campos’s “Christine” and David Bruckner’s “The Night House” (let alone her exceptional directorial debut, “Passing”), then Andrew Seman’s profoundly disturbing psychological thriller will meet the same fate. But that would be a crime. Hall’s performance as a confident, successful single mother who falls back into terrifying patterns when her abuser comes back into her life is both delicate and shocking. She too gets an absolutely riveting single-take monologue this year, with a speech so unthinkably strange that her ability to get away with it, let alone make it ring true, is a testament to her abilities. Best Adapted Screenplay: David Kajganich, “Bones and All” Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal road movie romance “Bones and All” is being positioned as a major Oscars contender, and maybe it’s got the juice, but there’s a good chance it’s just too weird to get any Academy traction. (See also: Guadagnino’s bold and challenging “Suspiria” remake.) The film has already failed to make the short lists for Best Cinematography and Best Original Score, which is a crime, but hopefully the film’s bizarrely sincere screenplay has a shot. The writing categories haven’t been afraid to honor, or at least nominate, outliers that are too edgy for the rest of the ceremony, and David Kajganich’s surreal yet intimate approach to the coming-of-age drama deserves the nod. For the rest of William Bibbiani’s picks for scary movies the Academy shouldn’t ignore, [click here](. 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