Six Scream Queens That The Oscars Has Snubbed

CEBU, Philippines — Horror is often overlooked as a genre during awards season, especially at the Oscars. That’s why fans are delighted whenever a horror film is taken seriously as an awards contender.

The latest example is the critically acclaimed, much-discussed body horror film “The Substance,” directed by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat.

It has earned five nominations, including Best Picture — its main prize. A nomination in this category is rare for a horror film, let alone a win. (To date, “The Silence of the Lambs” remains the only horror film to win Best Picture.)

The most deserving nomination is Best Actress, awarded to Demi Moore for her career-best performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, an Oscar-winning actress who watches her career in Hollywood fade overnight after being fired from her job as the host of a fitness show due to her age.

Feeling insecure about her place in the industry, Elisabeth takes the titular black market drug, leading to the creation of her younger, "better" alter ego, Sue, who emerges from her spine. Each version must alternate control of their body every seven days or face dire consequences if the balance is not respected.

Moore’s performance stands out not just because of the extensive prosthetics she had to wear but also because of the emotional depth she brought to the role.

One of the film’s most powerful scenes shows Elisabeth preparing for a date. Overwhelmed by insecurity after seeing Sue on a billboard near her apartment, she violently destroys her makeup in an emotional episode of self-loathing.

Her chances of winning Best Actress have only been strengthened by her empowering acceptance speech at the 2025 Golden Globes. Moore recalled being labeled a “popcorn actress”, not worthy of serious recognition.

“In those moments when we don’t think we are smart enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, successful enough, or basically just not enough, I had a woman say to me, ‘Just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick,’” she said to loud applause from the audience.

Even without the memorable speech, Moore has already cemented herself as a strong contender in this year’s Best Actress race.

However, her success also sorely reminds cinema fans of the many actresses whose phenomenal performances in horror films were unfairly overlooked by the Academy, largely due to longstanding prejudices against the genre as “cheap” or “gimmicky.”

Here are some actresses who deserved recognition for their stellar work in horror in the past decade:

Toni Collette - Hereditary

Toni Collette’s stunning performance in the 2018 horror film “Hereditary” arguably sparked the modern conversation about scream queens being snubbed by the Academy.

In Ari Aster’s directorial debut, the Australian actress plays Annie Graham, a mother grappling with grief following the deaths of her distant mother and, later, another family member in a tragic accident. Her nuanced portrayal captures Annie’s complicated and fraught relationships with her family which serves as the film’s emotional anchor despite its horror tone.

Collette’s standout moments include the iconic dinner scene, where Annie lashes out at her family in a fit of rage, and the chilling climax, where her character becomes possessed by the malevolent entity haunting her family.

This performance is widely regarded as one of Collette’s best, making her absence from the Oscars that year all the more puzzling.

Florence Pugh - Midsommar

In Aster’s sophomore feature “Midsommar”, Florence Pugh delivers a spectacular turn as Dani, a young woman reeling from the loss of her family in a murder-suicide committed by her sister. Adding to her turmoil is her strained relationship with her emotionally distant boyfriend, Christian.

Despite Christian’s reluctance, Dani joins him and his friends on a trip to a remote Swedish village to participate in a midsummer festival held only once every 90 years. As the group becomes entangled in the village’s sinister cult-like traditions, Dani’s mental state deteriorates, leading her down a dark path.

Pugh’s raw and vulnerable performance showcases her exceptional range as an actress. While she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination in the same awards season at the 2020 Oscars for “Little Women”, her work in Midsommar deserved the same recognition.

Lupita Nyong’o - Us

In Jordan Peele’s Us, Lupita Nyong’o delivered one of her career-best performances, playing both Adelaide Wilson and her terrifying doppelgänger, Red.

As Adelaide and her family are hunted by the Tethered, violent doppelgangers of themselves, Nyong’o shifts effortlessly between the dual roles, capturing Adelaide’s fear and resilience as well as Red’s eerie, otherworldly menace.

The film’s emotional climax, where Adelaide and Red confront each other that reveals a shocking twist, underscores Nyong’o’s remarkable talent. While she already won an Oscar for “12 Years a Slave”, her unforgettable performance in “Us” also deserves equal awards recognition.

Mia Goth - Pearl

While Mia Goth played dual roles in “X”: the aspiring actress Maxine and the bitter, elderly Pearl, her turn as the younger Pearl in the eponymous prequel was especially noteworthy.

Set decades before the events of the first film in the trilogy, “Pearl” explores the character’s descent into madness as she yearns to escape her oppressive life and pursue her dream of stardom as an actress.

Goth’s portrayal balances vulnerability and menace, making Pearl both a tragic figure and a chilling villain that should have put Goth as a front contender for the awards season in 2022.

Naomi Scott - Smile 2

Playing a pop star that audiences can emotionally connect with isn’t easy, but Naomi Scott proves she has the acting chops to bring such a character to the big screen  with remarkable depth.

In the follow-up to the 2022 sleeper horror hit “Smile”, the seven-day curse is passed to Skye Riley after she witnesses her friend and drug dealer’s cursed suicide.

Fresh from rehab and preparing for a highly anticipated concert tour, Riley attempts to destroy the curse in a way that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

Throughout the film, we see Riley’s fragile emotional state as she processes the tragic accident that killed her boyfriend, all while grappling with withdrawal symptoms. It’s this vulnerability that heightens the film’s scares and gore.

Previously known for “Lemonade Mouth” and “Aladdin”, Scott delivers her finest performance yet in “Smile 2”. It’s a shame her portrayal of a larger-than-life pop star with a dark past hasn’t been more prominent in the awards conversation.

Margaret Qualley - The Substance

While “The Substance” boasts five Oscar nominations, many argue that it deserved a sixth for Margaret Qualley’s exceptional performance as Sue, the alter ego of Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle.

Sue benefits from being a younger, “better” version of Elisabeth, reclaiming her past glory. However, she also harbors resentment toward her older, original self. These moments of bitterness underscore the shared self-loathing between the two characters, emphasizing how they are ultimately one despite seeing each other differently.

While Moore delivers a standout performance, Qualley’s portrayal of Sue is equally compelling. It’s disappointing that her nuanced work wasn’t recognized with a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the latest Oscars. Perhaps the Academy should have heeded the film narrator’s reminder: they are one. — (FREEMAN)