The biggest Oscar snub this year was Toni Collette's visceral performance in 2018's Hereditary. Her portrayal of Annie, a cold, distant matriarch of a highly dysfunctional family beset by tragedy was the kind of performance actors might have once in a career. The pivotal dinner scene was easily the most emotionally harrowing and difficult to sit through in 2018.
Collette without a doubt gave a performance of a lifetime, in a film embraced by critics and the horror community but shockingly snubbed by both the Oscars and even the Golden Globes. It has become A24's highest-grossing film worldwide, making over $79 million (on a $9 million budget).
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who hands out the Oscars has historically held a strong bias against genre films in its prestigious top categories (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director). Only a handful of horror films have ever been nominated for Best Picture, often relegating awards to the technical categories, so at least they have some merit. Take a look at the horror films in Oscar's history:
Best Picture Nominations
The Exorcist (1974)
Jaws (1976)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - WINNER!
The Sixth Sense (2000)
Black Swan (2011)
Get Out (2017)
Best Picture Biggest Snubs
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
The Haunting (1963)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Omen (1976)
Alien (1979)
The Shining (1980)
Poltergeist (1982)
Misery (1990)
The Babadook (2014)
The Witch (2016)
Suspiria (2018)
Hereditary (2018)
Horror Oscar Winners
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1932) - Actor in a Leading Role
REBECCA (1940) - Best Picture, Cinematography (considered Suspense/Thriller)*
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943) - Cinematography, Art Direction
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945) - Cinematography
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962) - Costume Design
ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) - Best Actress in a Supporting Role
ALIEN (1979) - Visual Effects
ALIENS (1986) - Visual Effects, Sound Editing
THE EXORCIST (1973) - Adapted Screenplay, Sound
JAWS (1975) - Sound, Film Editing, Music
THE OMEN (1976) - Music
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992)- Costume Design, Sound Editing, Makeup
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) - Makeup
THE FLY (1986)- Makeup
MISERY (1990) - Actress in a Leading Role
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) - Best Picture, Director, Actor in a Leading Role, Actress in a Leading Role, Adapted Screenplay
DEATH BECOMES HER (1992) - Visual Effects
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS (1996) - Sound
BEETLEJUICE (1998) - Makeup
SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999) - Art Direction
PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006) - Cinematography, Art Direction, Makeup
SWEENEY TODD (2007) - Art Direction
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)* - Best Picture, Actor in a Supporting Role, Directing, Adapted Screenplay
BLACK SWAN (2010) - Best Actress in a Leading Role
THE WOLFMAN (2010) - Makeup
THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017) - Best Picture, Directing, Music, Production Design (considered Adventure/Fantasy)*
GET OUT (2017) - Original Screenplay
*Horror-adjacent