"Genre" films have rarely earned respect at the prestigious Academy Awards. Horror, science fiction and fantasy have certainly landed nomination in abundance, but when it comes to winning the big prize, they often come up empty-handed. There are exceptions, like Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King or Jonathan Demme's The Silence Of The Lambs, but by and large, genre filmmakers have been conditioned to taking the nomination and accepting their anticlimactic fate. The fact that The Exorcist never won best picture remains a travesty to this day. This year, however, the winds of change appear to be rising.
With the Best Picture nominations to Jordan Peele's Get Out and Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape Of Water, it seems possible that genre fans will land themselves a big win. And while fans have been championing for Peele's instant classic, some members of the Academy have reportedly been feeling some type of way about the film. Vulture recently interviewed fourteen new Academy voters, who opened up about their experience within the respected institution. According to one member, several older members were quick to brush off Get Out without ever having seen it."
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"I had multiple conversations with longtime Academy members who were like, 'That was not an Oscar film," reveals the voter. "And I’m like, 'That’s bullshit. Watch it.' Honestly, a few of them had not even seen it and they were saying it, so dispelling that kind of thing has been super important."
The full piece includes plenty of insight into the Academys' inner workings, touching on social movements like #OSCARSSOWHITE and #METOO. And while social change is important, Get Out's success bodes well for another group: horror fans. May the reign of cinematic terror last long into future.
