Will horror have ANY presence at the Oscars this year? It rarely does.
Save for a few notable exceptions, history has proven that a great performance won’t be given any attention during Oscar season when that performance happens to be found inside of a horror movie. It’s no secret that the Academy very rarely bestows awards or even recognition on the horror genre, which is a shame considering how many great performances have come out of horror films over the years. Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs sure wasn’t the only one.
As we head towards the 2017 Academy Awards, many horror fans (myself included) are insisting that John Goodman be nominated for 10 Cloverfield Lane, and all the Oscar chatter got us thinking about other great genre performances that probably should have, at the very least, nabbed nominations. Can you believe Robert Shaw wasn’t even nominated for Jaws?!
One of my personal favorite overlooked performances came courtesy of Bill Moseley, who proved in The Devil’s Rejects that he’s a much better actor than most of us have ever really given him credit for. Of course, nobody would expect a Rob Zombie film to get any sort of attention at the Academy Awards, but I truly believe that if Moseley’s terrifying performance as Otis Driftwood were nestled inside a more Oscar-friendly movie, he would’ve had no problem nabbing a nomination. Otis is one of the most deplorable movie villains of all time and yet, when it comes time for him to pay the piper, you genuinely feel a little sad about his demise. Therein lies the power of Moseley’s performance in the horror sequel, which is an absolute tour de force of depravity.
Who else probably should’ve been nominated for an Academy Award? How about Bruce Campbell as Sebastian Haff/Elvis Presley in Bubba Ho-Tep? Campbell’s finest acting chops to date are on display in the oddball mummy flick, which gave him the opportunity to flex more than his comedic wit. Ash Williams may be the role that Campbell was born to play, but as the senior citizen Elvis impersonator who may actually be the real Elvis, he showed a whole new set of acting chops.
And what about Robert Englund in any of the Nightmare on Elm Street films? I can’t help but feel that the classically-trained horror icon has never truly gotten the respect he deserves for creating one of the most iconic movie monsters in the history of cinema. It’s sometimes way too easy to overlook a performance that’s buried underneath makeup and prosthetics, but it’s a testament to Englund’s acting chops that he turned a burnt-up dream demon into a beloved pop culture icon. All I’m saying is, the dude deserves more than a Fangoria Award for his contributions to film.
I could go on and on, but my goal here was to engage in a discussion rather than write up a list. So comment below and let’s talk about YOUR favorite snubbed horror performances!
