A great event for horror: The Shape of Water and Get Out sweep Oscar nominations, including Best Picture
The Academy Award nominations were a great day for fans of horror. Get Out and The Shape of Water, two successful genre films, sweep the Oscars with 18 nods in total.
Before we get into the two nominations for Get Out and The Shape of Water that are surprising and very exciting, let me explain a little about myself, just to give you an idea what a milestone this is for genre fans.
When I was six years old, my mother was single and I had quite a list of babysitters. I watched a lot of movies to pass the time, and although I was terrified of pretty much everything, I gained a very deep love for the horror genre. I was a monster kid, and I always felt like an outcast, so it helped me to embrace what many would call “dark,” “unhealthy” and “damaging.”
Thankfully, I had an upbringing where my creativitity or tastes were not stifled or censored, but I was always shunned for my love of the genre. It was addressed that these stories would take me nowhere, and that I would never be a stand up citizen if I stayed devoted to these things. The reason I bring this up is because this is something that many horror fans have heard in their lives in one way or another.
Flash forward quite a few years later. In 2010, I started a career as a journalist in my favorite genre, turned that into celebrity interviews, a podcast, hit radio show, and I even wrote a few books. Let’s just say so I have had quite a bit of personal success in the genre and the industry, and almost eight years later I am still standing.
Doing what I do, I get the chance to interact with horror fans, and I had the opportunity to witness the treasure of everyone’s excitement when it was announced two genre films were nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
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That is certainly the case with Get Out and The Shape of Water, two daring, risky, poignant, socially conscious fables. Get Out is nominated for five nominations including Best Actor for Daniel Kaluuya, Best Director for Jordan Peele, and of course, Best Picture.
The Shape of Water is dominating with 13 nominations, including Best Actress for Sally Hawkins, Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer, Best Supporting Actor for Richard Jenkins, Best Screenplay and Director for Guillermo Del Toro and Best Picture.
I believe the only time that this has happened in my lifetime was when The Silence of the Lambs swept in its year. Obviously, I was too young to understand how special that situation was, plus it was marked as a thriller, which, let’s be honest, is on the same hinge as the horror genre in many respects.
I can say this. If you are a fan of fantasy and horror genre fans practically worship the man and the work of Guillermo Del Toro. He has always been a force and an advocate for all of us who adored midnight creatures, fairies, elves, vampires, and things that dwell in the forest or go bump in the night.
When it comes to Jordan Peele, this is just a beautiful story from beginning to end. Peele was a popular comedic actor who wrote one script, found someone that believed in his statement (the production studio Blumhouse) and turned it into not just a massive hit but part of our everyday vernacular and our conversation. This was all an effect of the first major screenplay he has ever written. Even if you are someone who did not care for the film for whatever reason, we all have to at least agree that this is a miraculous and remarkable success for a first time writer.
It is a wonderful day for horror, the fans, and of course, the cast and crew of both productions. The genre is now a monster horror contender, and I am so happy that not only am I alive to see it, but that I can celebrate as a part of this industry I love when it is happening. There are many incredible and important stories and messages in horror, and now everyone is starting to see its importance — including Academy voters.