Why Horror’s Multiple Victories At The 98th Oscars Are So Important

The 98th Academy Awards were a huge night for all sorts of filmmakers, but it was an especially exciting night for horror. One of the biggest success stories of the night was Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s terrific exploration of blues music, the American South, and vampire lore. It took home 4 awards,

This makes it one of the most successful horror films in Oscar history. What’s really exciting, however, isn’t just that Sinners excelled. It’s also noteworthy that Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Zach Cregger’s Weapons also took home well-deserved Oscars. It’s part of horror’s growing success at the Academy and suggests that the genre might be growing in critical esteem.

Horror Had A Great Night At The 98th Academy Awards

Sinners was one of the biggest winners of the night, only bested by One Battle After Another for more wins. It took home Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Best Score for Ludwig Göransson, and Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw. The only horror movie with more wins is The Silence of the Lambs.

Beyond Sinners, though, Weapons and Frankenstein also earned Academy Awards. Weapons was only up for Best Supporting Actress, but Amy Madigan took home the prize despite fierce competition. Meanwhile, Frankenstein cleaned up in the technical awards, earning Oscars for Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design.

Overall, that’s a very impressive number of Academy Awards for any specific genre or style of film. It’s especially noteworthy for horror, which (alongside sci-fi) has long been underserved by prestigious film bodies like the Academy Awards. It’s rare, even in an era of more conceptual horror movies, for horror to break out on the award circuit.

While Get Out, The Exorcist, Misery, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and The Substance won Oscars, they were oftentimes the only horror films from those respective years to get attention from the academy. Seeing three horror films not just get nominations at the 98th Academy Awards but actually take home wins is a big moment for the genre in terms of recognition.

Why It’s Important That It’s Not Just One Type Of Horror That’s Winning Oscars

The other thing that makes this year’s victory for the horror genre all the more impressive is the way it highlighted the larger creative potential of horror. All three of the nominated horror movies take very different approaches to the concept of a scary movie, paying off unique approaches to the stories that scare us.

Sinners is a big and bold blockbuster, with thematic weight and a major emphasis on music. Frankenstein is an elaborate painting of a film, with a romantic heart and a cynical edge. Weapons is as creepy as it is hilarious, paying off its darker story beats with some truly twisted (and very cathartic) kills.

The horror genre can mean a lot of different things, from tragic monsters and supernatural creatures to serial killers and real-world terrors. Horror is often a great way to examine the surrounding culture, to pinpoint the things that are unsettling about our current condition and shine a brutal light on it. Usually, only one breaks out in award season.

In the past, the Academy has only really seemed to zero in on one horror movie at a time. The fact that three very different horror movies from 2025 didn’t just get nominated but actually took home the Oscar speaks to the genre’s rising pedigree in the eyes of the more prestigious corners of the industry.

It highlights not just the versatility of the genre, but the fact that multiple approaches to it are worthy of the Academy’s attention. It was a stacked year, with stiff competition in every major category — and Sinners, Frankenstein, and Weapons all proved to be worthwhile winners. It’s a great sign for the future of horror at the Academy Awards.