Horror had a massive presence at the 2026 Academy Awards, with films including Sinners, Frankenstein, and Weapons representing the genre in major categories. All three films ended up taking home Oscars last night, but there’s two particular wins we want to shine the spotlight on. Why, you ask? Because these wins are deeply significant – and incredibly rare.
The first Academy Award of the night was given to Amy Madigan for her performance in Zach Cregger’s Weapons, with Madigan taking home the trophy for Best Supporting Actress.
Later in the night, Michael B. Jordan won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his dual role in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which ended up taking home four awards in total.
“For me as a person, selfishly, who has worked a lot in that genre… the idea that that genre is very rarely celebrated or acknowledged… to see Amy have that success, and Sinners as well… it’s really a very special, special night,” Sarah Paulson told Variety, reacting to Madigan’s win.
As Paulson notes, it’s incredibly rare for horror movie performances to actually win Academy Awards. But how rare is it? Here’s a crazy bit of context that might surprise you…
Last night, Amy Madigan and Michael B. Jordan become two of now EIGHT total actors who have actually won Academy Awards for performances in horror movies over the past 98 years!
Which actors have won Oscars for horror movie performances?
That complete list of just eight now includes…
- Best Actor in a Leading Role – Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Ruth Gordon, Rosemary’s Baby (1969)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role – Kathy Bates, Misery (1991)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role – Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs (1992)
- Best Actor in a Leading Role – Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs (1992)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role – Natalie Portman, Black Swan (2011)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Amy Madigan, Weapons (2026)
- Best Actor in a Leading Role – Michael B. Jordan, Sinners (2026)
Yes, that means this year’s Academy Awards gave us the horror genre’s first acting wins in 15 years, and this year’s wins make up a staggering 1/4 of the total horror wins in cinema history.
Which other horror performances have been nominated for Oscars?
While only eight actors have won Oscars for their performances in horror movies, other performances have been (rarely) nominated over the years. Horror acting nominees include…
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Janet Leigh, Psycho (1961)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Linda Blair, The Exorcist (1974)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role – Ellen Burstyn, The Exorcist (1974)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Jason Miller, The Exorcist (1974)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role – Sissy Spacek, Carrie (1977)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Piper Laurie, Carrie (1977)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role – Sigourney Weaver, Aliens (1987)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense (2000)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Toni Collette, The Sixth Sense (2000)
- Best Actor in a Leading Role – Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out (2018)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role – Demi Moore, The Substance (2025)
But again, Amy Madigan and Michael B. Jordan have now joined an elite class that includes just six other performers who won their categories for their horror movie performances in the past nearly 100 years. Congratulations to both Madigan and Jordan, whose wins are also massive wins for horror at large. Let’s keep this momentum up as we head towards the Oscars 2027.
Have you seen any horror performances this year that feel deserving of Academy Awards nominations next year? Leave a comment and we’ll keep this conversation going below!
